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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28549917">KINGDOM OF ICE AND MOON</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/vivilivesinidhun/pseuds/vivilivesinidhun'>vivilivesinidhun</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Druck | SKAM (Germany)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/F, Magic, Multi, Worldbuilding</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 23:54:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>25,893</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28549917</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/vivilivesinidhun/pseuds/vivilivesinidhun</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Queen Ava of the Kingdom of the Sun sends her royal stables caretaker and best friend Fatou to the Kingdom of Ice as an offer of peace between the kingdoms. Will Fatou get over her yearslong crush on the now queen of the Kingdom of Ice, Kieu My, or will something sparkle between them in this mission?<br/>------------<br/>As a heads-ups, English is not my first language, so I'm sorry in advance for the chunky grammar and all, I tried my best and I hope you understand it well enough :)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Fatou Jallow/Kieu My Vu</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>146</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“There you go, Maike. You’re now as pretty as the others” said Fatou, softly, while she finished brushing her pegasus’ mane. Maike neighed happily in response. Fatou smiled at her and gently tapped her on the side of her wings. Then, she picked up one of the feathers that had fallen in the thatched floor, and she tucked it inside her bag. After that, she waved the pegasus goodbye – who was at this moment concentrated on aggressively drinking some water – and stepped outside the cubicle, closing the door. While she stretched, happy to be done for now, she looked at the stables se was in. She still couldn’t believe she was working as the Royal Stables supervisor. She had always loved animals – after all, she was raised in a farm –, and she had been studying veterinary with her mother, helping her with her patients and all, but, after her best friend became the queen of the Kingdom of the Sun, Her Majesty granted her that position. She really didn’t think she would ever get to work and live at the Royal Palace due to her humble origins, but hey, Nepotism works in mysterious ways.</p>
<p>Speaking of Nepotism, a tall, curly haired and always smiling guy had just come through the stables’ door. Always running, that guy. I mean, it was his job as the royal messenger, but still.</p>
<p>“Josh!” Fatou waved and approached him. He was out of breath, it seemed important.</p>
<p>“Fatou” Josh waved back at her while he recovered his breath. “How are you doing? Anyways, Queen Ava wanted to see you. It seemed urgent.”</p>
<p>“Thank you, Josh, I’ll be on my way then. Send my regards to Nora” Fatou smiled. Nora was another of her best friends, now the royal painter. Even though she was also invited to live at the palace, Nora preferred to live in the outskirts of the city, near the beach. The main motive for that was Josh, of course, but her official excuse was that the sea inspires her to paint or some similar nonsense.</p>
<p>“Yes! She told me that she wants you to come to have dinner tonight, if it’s possible?”</p>
<p>“Sure!” Fatou waved goodbye, and crossed the door, out of the stables. The sunlight caressed her skin, and she closed her eyes, basking on it. She loved the Sun, and she thought she was the luckiest girl living where she lived. After a while she started to get hot, so she moved along the roofed columned walkway that bordered the large courtyard of the palace, were the stables were located, until she got to a large bulky and important-looking ornated door, guarded by two soldiers wearing gold and red, the colors of the kingdom.</p>
<p>“Hey, Fatou” said one of them, William, with that weird creepy smile he always had on. Fatou didn’t like or trust him, but the queen thought he was just really shy.</p>
<p>“Do you wish to see the queen?” asked the other one, Marc. Everyone except for Ava herself knew he was in love with the queen, but she liked having him around.</p>
<p>“Yes” Fatou nodded.</p>
<p>“Perfect, then” Marc and William opened the door before her, and Fatou, after thanking them, crossed it. It led to the back of the throne room.</p>
<p>“I don’t know if it fits. Huelk, which one of the candelabras do you think would fit best for the dining room?” Fatou could hear the queen talk from the top of the throne, but not see her, as for now. In front of her were two very heavy and similar candelabras, held by two sweating servants.</p>
<p>“They look the same to me, your Majesty” said a strange metallic male voice next to the queen. It was the mysterious Huelk, royal protector of the Kingdom of the Sun and personal bodyguard of the queen. He always wore a mask, and no one had ever seen him without it. Nobody knew his true name either, he himself had said that Huelk was not his birth name.</p>
<p>Fatou walked through the back of the room until she could see the queen, with beautiful locks, and an equally impressive maroon dress. She looked like a true queen, and Fatou couldn’t be prouder of her friend.</p>
<p>Her friend could now see her, and, as such, glanced at her. She smiled, and then looked back to the candelabras and the servants.</p>
<p>“You can go, then. We’ll resume the redecoration of the dining room another day”.</p>
<p>The exhausted servants seemed happy they could leave. They both took a bow at the queen and left the room from the front. Fatou then occupied the same spot the candelabras were previously on.</p>
<p>“My dear Fatou, how are you?” the queen smiled at her gently. “How’s your family? And your brother?”</p>
<p>“We are all great, thanks your Majesty” it was still weird to refer to Ava like that, but Huelk wouldn’t admit calling her anything other than your Majesty or your Highness. “My brother is soon to be a graduated scholar”.</p>
<p>“Tell him he’ll have a guaranteed spot in my palace as the royal scholar, then.”</p>
<p>Fatou was in shock.</p>
<p>“But… Your Highness… What about Kiki?” Everybody knew that Kiki, Nora’s sister, was preparing to become the royal scholar of the kingdom.</p>
<p>“Apparently, she discovered a profound love for magic in the Kingdom of the Stars, and she is now studying to become a Grand Mage.”</p>
<p>“Which means…” Fatou became pale.</p>
<p>“She’ll be going to the Kingdom of Ice, yes” queen Ava nodded, with a grave expression. “You know the law. All magic users – except for religious leaders – must reside in the Kingdom of Ice. And that’s where you come into play”.</p>
<p>“Me?” Fatou was confused.</p>
<p>“A spy of mine has told me that the royal captains have been spreading nefarious news about how I hate their kingdom and how I’m preparing you for another war. Apparently it’s working, there’s been a lot of disarray and hatred in the frontier. That’s why, as an offer of peace, and as a means of congratulating the kingdom for their future brand-new Grand Mage, I was thinking of sending them some pegasi. We won’t be needing them for any future wars at the moment, so why not gift some of them to the queen. That way we kill two birds with one stone: we show our support of Kiki and magic users, while we let them know that we are friendly neighbors and don’t intent to start another war.”</p>
<p>“Wait, why would the Royal Captains do that?” Fatou wasn’t understanding anything. Then it dawned on her. “Unless they are…”</p>
<p>“Constantin and Ismail. Yes. For some reason she made them her Royal Captains.” Queen Ava looked annoyed by that thought. “I thought that the bullying would stop after I became queen, but I suppose that isn’t the case.”</p>
<p>“They suck so much” Fatou still remembered having to console Ava when they were all studying in the Kingdom of the Stars and those two kept being horrible to her friend.</p>
<p>“Yeah. And, as always, the queen isn’t doing anything. I would’ve loved it if she had sent me a letter warning me about this, instead of having to find out via Yara, but oh well, guess things never change. Speaking of the queen, I already talked to her and she’ll be accommodating you in her palace. At least she’s not an asshole like her friends, I suppose”.</p>
<p>Fatou’s heart skipped a beat.</p>
<p>“Wait. I’m going too?”</p>
<p>“Of course you’re going.”</p>
<p>“I thought I would only pick the pegasi!” her hands started shaking. She was gonna see her. She was gonna see her. She was gonna see her. The queen saw her hands, and she too realized it.</p>
<p>“Goddess, Fatou, don’t tell me you still like her.”</p>
<p>Fatou went completely red.</p>
<p>“Yes. Still” she managed to mutter. She just wanted to run away, but also couldn’t stop thinking about how she was gonna see her again, after all of these years. She thought about her every day, and every night she was in all of her dreams.</p>
<p>“Please, don’t let your hopes up, please. I don’t want to see you heartbroken again. She’s literally an ice queen, Fatou. There’s no chance.”</p>
<p>“I know, I know” her heart broke a little hearing her friends’ words, even though they were completely true. She didn’t want to talk about <em>her</em> anymore. “Um, when am I going?”</p>
<p>“As soon as you can. I have talked to the High Priestess to bless you before leaving, and I leave the rest to you. It would be the best if you arrive in the Kingdom of Ice by night today.</p>
<p>“Today?” Fatou opened her eyes widely. “Then I’ll prepare everything, your highness”. There was too much stuff to do. Her head started thinking about a million things at the same time and she nearly forgot to make a bow when she exited the throne roof. There was too much to do, in too little time.</p>
<p>She started with the pegasi. She picked three: Chibi, Keinwitz and Na. She would also bring Maike with her, as her transport. She let the other pegasi say their goodbyes to their friends, before asking Josh to prepare them.</p>
<p>She then exited the palace and walked through the lovely citadel, with brightly colored houses and lovely stoned roads, until she reached the port, with more lovely wooden houses. Right by the beach, next to the largest lighthouse in the kingdom, was a baby blue wooden quaint little cottage, decorated with all sorts of flowers and with an easel in the entrance. Fatou knocked on that door. After a ruckus in the inside, Nora opened the door. She was blond, with piercing blue eyes and a messy outfit.</p>
<p>“What the hell happened here?” Fatou peeked her head through the doorframe, and saw a total mess of a house.</p>
<p>“I tried to combine dancing and painting. It didn’t end well” Nora laughed lightly. Fatou loved to see Nora laughing. She had recently been through a lot. “And what are you doing here, Fatou? I wasn’t expecting you until dinner. Josh told you, right?”</p>
<p>“Yes, yes, he told me. But something else happened. May I?” she pointed towards the inside of the house. It was getting really hot, and Fatou could sense the sweat going down her spine.</p>
<p>“Oh, sorry. Sure” Nora invited her in.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“So, basically, you’re gonna see Kieu My again” was the first thing Nora said after Fatou told them everything. She sipped her mate, while looking at Fatou directly in the eyes.</p>
<p>“<em>Queen </em>Kieu My, Nora” Fatou said quietly.</p>
<p>“Oh yeah, queen Kieu My. Gosh, she already looked like a queen, imagine how she will be now” commented Nora jokingly.</p>
<p>Fatou’s heart raced. It’s true. She would look even more perfect.</p>
<p>“She must be stunning now” Fatou daydreamed. Nora smiled at her lovingly.</p>
<p>“Fatou, sweetie, don’t get your hopes up” she said it considerably kinder than queen Ava, but it still hurt.</p>
<p>“I know”.</p>
<p>“Anyways, I didn’t actually realize that Kiki studying magic would be such a big deal” commented Nora. “In fact, I sorta encouraged her to do so” Nora seemed a bit embarrassed by that.</p>
<p>“But why? She could’ve lived here with you”.</p>
<p>“I know, but… I mean, she really wanted to study magic, and to be honest, that Magic Law is so shitty” puffed Nora. “Also, we are from the Kingdom of Ice, so it would be weirder if she moves here”.</p>
<p>“Oh, right, you’re from there!” remembered Fatou. Nora nodded, nostalgic. “And how’s living there?”</p>
<p>“Cold” she laughed. “But also, really pretty. The snowed city, and the hot chocolate… I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Also, the moon was a thousand times better, and the night sky… I would kill to see that night sky one more time.”</p>
<p>“Really? Kill?” Fatou looked at her skeptically, but Nora was serious.</p>
<p>“Yes. I’ve tried to recreate it countless times, with really poor results. I love the daylight here, and sunsets are to die for, but the Kingdom of Ice has the moon”.</p>
<p>“The moon, huh?” Fatou was also very fond of the moon. A lot of nights she would lay awake thinking about Kieu My, and she would go to her balcony. The moon was always there, conforting her, and she sometimes even talked to her. “I would love to live there”.</p>
<p>“Where?” Nora wasn’t following.</p>
<p>“The moon”.</p>
<p>“Yeah, sure” Nora giggled.</p>
<p>“Anyways” Fatou suddenly remembered what she was here for. “Apart from Kieu My” her name was like a melody, it sounded so good in her lips, “I’ll probably be seeing Zoe. Do you want me to say anything to her?”</p>
<p>Nora smiled thoughtfully.</p>
<p>“Just that I love her. And that I’m sorry I missed her engagement party, but I was having a bad day. You know what I mean.” Fatou nodded, attentively. “And that I promise I’ll be there for her wedding. In fact…” she stood up, remembering something, and started fumbling through the messy room, looking for something. After a few moments, she picked up a piece of parchment, and brought it to the table. It was a drawing of her and her sister under a sky full of stars.</p>
<p>“I made this for the engagement party. Please deliver it to her if you can.” She gave it to Fatou, who carefully folded it and put it in her bag. After that, she got up from the table.</p>
<p>“Thanks for the mate, and don’t worry, I’ll give the drawing to Zoe, for sure. I still have to go to Mailin for the blessing, and then I’ll be on my way.” <em>To Kieu My</em> she added in her mind, her heart racing faster and faster.</p>
<p>“Have a safe trip, and don’t worry about anything, okay?” Nora hugged her.</p>
<p>“Okay. Take care of yourself” Fatou smiled and waved her goodbye as she left Nora’s house.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>sorry if there's many mistakes, i'm running short of time so i couldn't double-read, i'll take a look at it tomorrow to see if there's any major mistakes tho!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Just outside the citadel there were big extensions of farmlands, and then the sacred forest, full of hundreds of species of trees and flowers and fungi. It was Fatou’s favorite place. After she said her goodbyes to her parents, she entered the forest. In the center of it lied the Sanctuary of the Mother Goddess, the goddess of the kingdom, who ruled over earth and nature. The Sanctuary was made out of stone menhirs and dolmens with ancient scriptures and magic symbols drawn on them, along with a wooden statue of the goddess in the middle. In a little wooden hut by the sanctuary lived the High Priestess, who represented Mother Goddess on earth, and served as a link between nature and civilization. Just like in Fatou’s case, queen Ava made their friend Mailin the new High Priestess. When Fatou arrived in the Sanctuary, she was renewing the energy of that holy place by reciting ancient psalms with the help of the other priests and priestesses. It was very mesmerizing. When they finished, and Mailin opened her beautiful big blue eyes, she saw Fatou, smiling with contempt. She then approached her.</p><p>“I wish I could wear a flower crown every day” commented Fatou on Mailin’s look. As the High Priestess, she had a flower crown, along with a green tunic with flower embroideries.</p><p>“You wouldn’t wanna wear it in Winter though, it’s all made of thorns and it hurts as hell” replied Mailin, giving Fatou a warm hug. “How are you doing? Ava told me about your mission”.</p><p>“Well, you know…” Fatou just smiled nervously at her.</p><p>“I know” Mailin smiled back. “Okay, let’s get this over with. But first, I want to show you something”.</p><p>She started walking into the forest, and Fatou followed after her. Mailin’s tunic floated around her, giving her an angelic aura. Fatou was so mesmerized about that that she didn’t even realize where she took her until Mailin came to a full stop. Fatou then looked up, and…</p><p>“Axolotls!!!!” she gasped, excited.</p><p>There were tons of little axolotls jumping around a freshwater spring. There were some red ones, lots of pink ones, some black, some white. All equally as adorable. Axolotls were Fatou’s favorite animal, but she hadn’t actually seen one, ever.</p><p>“Sacred axolotls to be more precise” explained Mailin. The two friends approached them and kneeled to watch them enjoy their little lives. “They are thought of be lucky charms. Everything will go your way as long as you have one of these little guys by your side. Now, pick one”.</p><p>“Excuse me?” Fatou didn’t understand.</p><p>“Pick one of them. It’s a personal gift, from me to you. Come on. As I said, they’re good luck charms.”</p><p>“But Mailin, they’re amphibians. I can’t just fly to another country with one of them like nothing”.</p><p>“You’re forgetting I’m a mage. Pick one” Mailin started smiling mysteriously.</p><p>“Okay then” Fatou just gave up, and started looking for a cute axolotl. She finally set her mind on a white one, sunbathing in a black pebble a bit isolated from the rest. “I pick her” decided, pointing at the little thing.</p><p>Mailin picked her up. She revolted a bit, but calmed down when Mailin gave her a gentle tap. “Her?”</p><p>“She’s way prettier than the other ones, of course it’s a she” explained Fatou, anxious to see what her friend was gonna do to the white axolotl.</p><p>Mailin laughed softly.</p><p>“I guess, yeah”. She then leveled her eyes with the axolotl. “Okay, little gal, you’re gonna feel a bit weird in a moment, but don’t worry, it’s gonna be okay.” Mailin closed her eyes and started heavy breathing. She started to emanate a sort of greenish glow, and Fatou could even feel how the nature that surrounded them was bending over to where Mailin was standing.</p><p>“<em>aamën</em>. <em>aamën. aamën…”</em> she repeated over and over again. The axolotl started glowing, and, after a bit, suddenly, everything stopped. Mailin opened her eyes, and smiled at the little creature. Then, she handed her over to Fatou.</p><p>“There you go”. Fatou looked at the axolotl. She was beautiful.</p><p>“Hello, Luna” greeted her. Luna sorta smiled at her, and Fatou giggled. She then put Luna on her shoulder, and the axolotl quickly accommodated there.</p><p>“Nice name” commented Mailin. “Fitting. Okay, there’s another thing I wanted to show you. But first you have to promise me you won’t tell anyone”. She was now serious.</p><p>“What are you gonna show me, Mailin?” Fatou was scared.</p><p>“Just promise me”.</p><p>“Okay, I promise” mumbled a defeated Fatou.</p><p>“<em>fröspraechim</em>” whispered Mailin. She then smiled and started walking deeper into the forest.</p><p>“Wha-What did you just said?”</p><p>“It was a spell. Now you are obligated to maintain your promise. No hard feelings, I just wanted to make sure” lightly explained Mailin. Fatou was a bit uncomfortable with all that magic stuff, but she didn’t say anything.</p><p>They went really deep into the forest, Fatou didn’t recognize any of the flora that they were encountering. The trees were getting higher and higher, and the forest darker and darker. And, after a long while, they reached a shrine.</p><p>It was made out of stone, and it was circular. It had some menhirs around it, with paintings that represented the elements. The inside was hollow, and it had no walls, so you could clearly see what was inside. Five mystic spheres lied in a circle. There was a sixth clearly missing. Each one of them emitted a different colored glow: blue, red, yellow, white, and black.</p><p>“The elemental pearls” whispered Fatou, astonished. Everybody in the Kingdom of the Sun had heard of the elemental pearls. They were the only source of magic in the kingdom, and they were all in possession of priests and priestesses.</p><p>“Exactly. And I’m gonna give you one of them” Mailin crossed to the inner circle of the shrine, where the pearls were located, and then waited for Fatou to come over. But the girl was in shock.</p><p>“Mailin, what are you talking about? I’m not a priestess. I’m pretty sure is illegal.” She glanced at her friend, uncomfortable.</p><p>“Fatou, I’m the head priestess, you’ll be under my supervision. I’ll be fully responsible for this. And no one needs to know. Hell, probably you won’t even use it. But I want you to be protected”.</p><p>Fatou, still wary, walked up to where Mailin was standing, and looked at the pearls. She could feel the power emanating from within them. It was kinda hypnotizing. Mailin then took a small linen bag from her tunic, and, trying to not touch it, put the yellow pearl inside. Then, she gave it to Fatou, much to her surprise.</p><p>“I think <em>aembeh</em>, the Pearl of the Wind, is perfect for you. It will grant you power over the wind and the sky. But only temporarily. If you need to use it, you have to touch it for about thirty seconds or so, and then a part of the pearl’s power will be transmitted to your power. But it’s limited, you can only use it for a maximum of four hours. It sucks, but it’s the only way we have of using magic here, due to that shitty law. Anyways” Mailin looked at what little of a sky she could see through all the foliage, “it’s nearly midday and I still have to bless you. Come on, let’s go back.”</p><p>Then she turned around, and Fatou followed through, still confused. They were in silence for a few moments, while Fatou played with Luna, still trying to process everything. After they left the axolotl’s pond behind, she managed to speak out what she had been thinking about.</p><p>“Why did you do that, Mailin? Giving me the pearl. That wasn’t necessary, right?”</p><p>Mailin continued walking before her, and for a while Fatou thought she wasn’t gonna answer, until Mailin started speaking.</p><p>“Do you remember what those assholes did to Ava? I will never forgive them. Also, I can’t believe Ava has forgotten who started the war” Fatou was surprised by the amount of hatred in Mailin’s voice.</p><p>“That’s not fair, Mailin. It was their parents who started everything, not them.”</p><p>“Why are you always defending <em>her</em>? You know what, I already know why. But be careful around her, please” her voice softened. “And, if we deem what Yara informed the queen as true information, you might not be as safe as it would seem in the Kingdom of Ice. I just want you to be able to protect yourself, it’s only that. And most of them there are mages, so it’s our safest option. Combat fire with fire and all of that.”</p><p>Fatou was more calmed after Mailin said that. She was only doing it to protect Fatou. It was kinda cute. Yeah. And as Mailin said, she could even end up not using it. And it was pretty cool, to be honest. Yeah, Fatou was on board.</p><p>Soon after that they got to the Sanctuary of the Mother Goddess.</p><p>“Okay, sit under the statue. I’ll call the priests and prepare everything” ordered Mailin. Fatou obeyed her, curious. She hadn’t been in a blessing before. She didn’t even considered herself very religious, but she had a mad respect for Nature. And the Moon. She wished a Moon goddess existed. If it would, it would probably look a lot like Kieu My to be fair.</p><p>After a while, everything was set. All the menhirs and dolmens were now light up with torches, and the priests, behind her, started to chant an ominous and unintelligible song. Mailin, now with a serene but powerful gaze, was in front of her. She extended her arms to her and the statue, and started a mantra, while the same greenish glow as before emanated from her.</p><p>“<em>Müutagatyne, shutsyn sï igaen graesëndyn. Müutagatyne, shutsyn sï igaen graesëndyn. Müutagatyne, shutsyn sï igaen graesëndyn…</em>” Mailin’s voice was hypnotic, and Fatou started zoning out and getting dizzy. She no longer recognized what was real and what was dream. She didn’t even know where she was, who she was, what she was. And suddenly, it stopped. The world fell back to its usual ways.</p><p>“That was it, Fatou” Mailin was smiling before her. She helped Fatou to get up. “Don’t worry, the dizziness is normal” commented, as she saw Fatou walking like a baby duck, trying to get her senses back together. “You know what? Let’s get into my cabin, we’ll have a meal before you leave, that’ll help you get back into it”. She then gently led Fatou inside her house. By the time she opened the door, Fatou was smiling again, joking and, once again, proud at her friend, for being able to do such cool things.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Mailin accompanied her to the palace, and they parted ways after the biggest hug. Fatou packed everything in a frenzy, changed into more comfortable clothes, basically and old and teared shirt, a grey cardigan, and her comfy trousers and boots she used to mount her pegasus. Luna got a special place in her cardigan’s top pocket. She then got back to the courtyard, where everything was prepared. She would lead the way, and the other three pegasi will follow her and Maike. Josh was there, wanting to know if everything was in place, so Fatou got to say goodbye to him and get the most amazing hug. Josh gave the best hugs; Nora was so lucky. Just before parting, queen Ava came in a frenzy and also said her farewells, kissing her and hugging her a lot. Finally, she mounted Maike, made sure the other pegasi were okay, and took off, conquering the blue skies, that started to get a bit orange-y as sunset approached.</p><p>They flew north, leaving the plains and forests of the Kingdom of the Sun and entering the rugged and mountainous luscious Kingdom of the Ice, full of snow and way more chillier up there. While she was looking for an apple to have as a dinner, she found the feather she picked up from the stable that same morning. It was weird just to think how so much had changed in the span of a day. She ended up putting it in her messy hairdo as a hair ornament. Fatou thought it looked cute.</p><p>When dusk came, as the night was showing her true colors, Fatou gasped. Nora was right. She had never seen more stars. And the moon. The moon!! It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. And she was flying towards her. It was full and illuminated the sky. Fatou started crying, she couldn’t believe something so pretty could exist.</p><p>Around midnight, she got to the capital city of the Kingdom of Ice, a tiered winter wonderland in a steep valley, with a poignant and magical palace at the top of it. Fatou descended towards the palace, looking for someplace to land, and, when she finally found the courtyard, she saw her. Her silhouette was outlined by the moon behind her, leaving Fatou completely breathless.</p><p>It was her. Queen Kieu My.</p>
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<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Now in Kieu My's POV, whe get to see her first impressions of Fatou flying to her kingdom in a majestic pegasus.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kieu My was shaking, and not precisely from the cold. Even though the night was chilly, and she had her favorite silk dress on – which wasn’t precisely appropriate for wintertime –, her woolen shawl warmed her enough. No, it wasn’t. She was panicking. A lot.</p><p>She didn’t knew Fatou would look like <em>that</em>. Fuck, she was beautiful, riding that pegasus in the starry night sky. She looked just like those pegasi warriors they learned about back in the Kingdom of the Stars, when Fatou was just a cute weird girl that made her laugh. Yeah, she had a big ol’ fat crush on her, but she never knew how to act upon it, so Kieu My just let it fade away. There had been other people after Fatou, of course, so she wasn’t worried about her visit. In fact, she was excited. Just as Queen Ava had said in the letter, this was a great opportunity of bonding between the two kingdoms. Kieu My was really tired of all the hate and squabbles between the kingdoms, even though she knew her two royal captains weren’t helping. But there was little she could do; whenever she talked with both of them, she reversed back to her Academy years, where she was just the extra space in their group of friends, never speaking nor having initiative. But that had to change. She was now the queen, even if she didn’t really felt like one. She just had to learn how to act like one.</p><p>Fatou was getting closer and closer. Kieu My couldn’t control the shaking.</p><p><em>Fuck</em>, she thought. <em>I’ll just say I’m cold. That could work. Maybe?</em>. Zoe should’ve come with her. Kieu My just didn’t want to wake her up. She had been fighting with Finn all day, and they hadn’t reconciled until a couple of hours ago. She needed some rest.</p><p>Kieu My could’ve brought Ismail, too. After all, he sworn to protect her, and, for all they knew, Fatou could stab her right there.</p><p><em>And I would be grateful,</em> a little voice in Kieu My’s head whispered. She turned completely red. Thank Goddess it was nighttime, and Fatou couldn’t see her that well.</p><p>Fatou touched the ground, and quickly turned around to check on the other pegasi, giving them something from her bag. <em>She’s so kind</em>, Kieu My thought. Then, she got off her pegasus and turned to her. And Kieu My’s heart skipped a beat.</p><p>Her cute, rounded face, with those big curious eyes full of moonlight. Her button nose, and her lips. <em>Her lips</em>. Her hairdo, with the feather added as a sweet and heartwarming detail. Her outfit, that perfectly detailed the outline of her body. The way her pants fitted her… Kieu My thanked the nighttime once more. She hadn’t ever been redder.</p><p>Fatou approached her, while looking at her… funnily? What was that expression? Oh god, she probably thought it was weird that Kieu My was the only one waiting for her. It was probably that. She had to think of an excuse, quick.</p><p>“Your… Majesty” Fatou bowed upon her. Kieu My noticed Fatou was shaking too. She probably wasn’t used to the cold climate.</p><p>“My dear Fatou” <em>My dear Fatou???</em> What was she thinking???? <em>Stupid, stupid, stupid</em>. “Thanks for coming so quickly with so little notice beforehand. I welcome you to the Kingdom of Ice. I hope you have a very pleasant stay” Kieu My was trying to be as cordial as she could, but inside her, her heart was racing so fast she was worrying Fatou could hear it, and the shaking was becoming more and more obvious. “I see you are cold, come, we’ll continue talking in the inside” <em>Good one, Kieu My!</em> She congratulated herself.</p><p>Fatou got a bit flabbergasted by that proposition, or at least that’s what it seemed to Kieu My. In reality, Fatou was now as red as the queen.</p><p>“Thank you, your Majesty. I’m not used to this colder climate. But I would prefer if the pegasi got somewhere to stay first, it’s been a long day for them too” Fatou caressed one of the pegasi manes as it neighed.</p><p><em>She’s too kind</em> Kieu My thought, dying of cuteness overload in her inside. Thankfully, she knew how to maintain a straight face.</p><p>“Yes, of course” she was about to look around her for someone to help her, when she remembered it was her idea to greet Fatou <em>by herself</em>. <em>I’m so stupid</em>, she thought. “Um, all of my staff is in a… in a ball in honor of Zoe and Finn’s engagement, I don’t know if you know it”.</p><p>“Yes, Nora told me about it”.</p><p>“Of course, of course, Nora, your friend” <em>It was obvious she knew, you dumb-dumb</em>. “Yeah, well, they are over there, that’s why I’m alone tonight. Um, I’ll help you getting them to the stables. They’re a bit smaller than those in the Kingdom of the Sun, if I remember correctly, as we don’t really have horses or anything, but I think they’ll fit.”</p><p>“But, your Honor, you’re the queen. Let me do it by myself” Fatou looked like she was in shock. Had Kieu My <em>impressed</em> her? She hoped she had.</p><p>“Don’t worry about it, it’s not that far off here. Come on, follow me”.</p><p>Elegantly, Kieu My pranced to where one of the pegasi was. She took its bridles, and started walking towards the stables, a small room in an abandoned tower, south of the courtyard. But, as soon as she tried to push the pegasus towards her, it wouldn’t just move. Trying to keep smiling, Kieu My tried another time. And another. But the pegasus would just look at her, defiantly. It clearly didn’t want to move, for some reason. Probably it was just homophobic. Yeah. Why else would it do that to her?</p><p>“I’m sorry, your Majesty. Na is a bit stubborn; he only responds to me. You can take Chibi, she’s the mildest of them all.” Kieu My nearly jumped, hearing Fatou’s voice that close to her. She was just a few inches away from her face, and Kieu My could see her rosed nose and rosed cheeks, that made her look even cuter than she already was. Mesmerized by her, she stared intensely into her eyes. They were like that, gazing into each other’s eyes, just for a moment; Kieu My couldn’t recall how long it was. She could’ve lived in that moment, forever.</p><p>And then, Fatou looked away, and took the bridles off of her.</p><p>“Shall we go?” she asked her. Her voice seemed weird, but Kieu My was too focused on trying to calm herself to notice that.</p><p>Kieu My nodded and took Chibi’s bridles. Fatou also conducted Keinwitz, and Maike followed the two of them.</p><p>The stables were made out of stone, just like everything in the kingdom, and they were cozy and quaint, half the size of those in the Kingdom of the Sun, but big enough to hold the four pegasi. After checking up on them and making sure they had enough food and water, Fatou finally accepted going to sleep.</p><p>They went out the back door, which led to a huge balcony constructed in the cliff that served as a shortcut to the private areas of the palace. They advanced through it, both of them silent, too shy to know what to say. And then, <em>she </em>appeared.</p><p>Lady Moon. There she was, in all her glory. She was even prettier from the ground level. Hundreds of stars surrounded her, shimmering in awe upon Her magnificence. Fatou couldn’t help it – her jaw dropped, and she suddenly came to a stop, leaving a shocked Kieu My, not knowing what to do. Fatou then, as if she were in some sort of trance, went up to the railing so she could see Her better. After some seconds of doubting, Kieu My walked to her side, joining her and admiring how the moonlight caressed Fatou, giving her an ethereal aura. She was so beautiful, Kieu My couldn’t believe herself.</p><p>“Nora was right” said Fatou, suddenly. Kieu My frowned.</p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p>“The moon really is prettier here. She’s breathtaking” her voice cracked at the end.</p><p>Kieu My couldn’t help but smile.</p><p>“Did you know this used to be known as the Kingdom of the Moon?”</p><p>“Really?” for the first time since the moon had appeared, Fatou took her eyes off of her, and looked at Kieu My. She nearly screamed, seeing her bathed in the moonlight like that. She really looked like the Moon Goddess.</p><p>“Yes. Many centuries ago. They said the Moon Goddess blessed this land and gave us her protection forevermore.”</p><p>“The Moon Goddess? How come I had never heard about her before?”</p><p>“It’s just a minor goddess nowadays. Father Winter is the protector of our kingdom” Kieu My explained.</p><p>“That’s a shame. The Moon Goddess seems like a better goddess. I could believe in her” said Fatou, softly.</p><p>“You know what?” Kieu My smiled, a bit ashamed. She didn’t know why she was telling this to Fatou, but she couldn’t stop now. “I used to talk to the moon every night when I was a little kid. Before going to the academy and meeting Zoe and the others I didn’t have many friends, so I pretended She was my friend. My mother was really into the Moon Goddess too, so she used to tell me all of these stories about her.”</p><p>“I also speak to the moon!” Fatou seemed really excited, so much, that she realized too late what she had just said. “Well, I <em>used</em> to speak to the moon anyways. You know. In the past.” Kieu My laughed softly. Whenever she thought Fatou couldn’t get any cuter, there she was, softening her heart and lighting up the world. “And my mother used to sing to me all these songs about the moon, too. She was a singer” Fatou explained.</p><p>“Oh.” Kieu My’s heart started racing. This was her shot. “And… Could you, perhaps, sing for me one of those songs?” <em>What have you done?</em> She immediately thought to herself. <em>I’m so stupid</em>.</p><p>Fatou just formed an “o” with her lips, and stared soulfully into her eyes, for a moment, probably struggling internally on how to flip off royalty in a respectful way, or at least that’s what Kieu My imagined. She could’ve never thought all Fatou’s alarms were going off, and that she was slowly but surely melting away into a flan.</p><p>“You know what?” Kieu My decided to cut that moment off. It was too rushed. And awkward. Especially awkward. “Save it for tomorrow. We’ll throw a banquet in your honor, and you’ll be able to sing there. Now it’s getting late, and I’m sure you are tired.”</p><p>Fatou looked at her once more – was disappointment what Kieu My saw in her eyes? – and then nodded, breaking eye contact.</p><p>“Yes, it was a long trip, and tomorrow I’ll probably be travelling at night, so I should get some rest while I can” she timidly smiled at the queen and started walking again through the balcony. Then she realized she didn’t know where she was going. “Where’s my room, your Majesty? Your Majesty?”</p><p>Kieu My had frozen. What was Fatou saying about “travelling at night”? Was she thinking of leaving the following day? No. Kieu My couldn’t let her go that easily. She knew she was being selfish, but she needed to think of something, and quick.</p><p>“Your Majesty? Are you alright?” Fatou’s voice seemed worried. Kieu My came back to reality. She’d think about it in the morning.</p><p>“Yes, sorry. This way, please”.</p><p>And there they went, the two of them, in mutual silence, hearts beating as once, and with the Moon as their only witness. They didn’t know it, but this was the start of the rest of their lives.</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In this chapter, we get to meet Kieu My's councelors, and their reaction to Fatou's presence in the palace.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“The Royal Council is now in session” announced queen Kieu My. They were all around a large black stone table situated in the center of the Conference Room. It was tall, full of elegant columns that finished in a domed ceiling, painted with a starry night sky. All over the room were banners hanging from the stone walls, that had, in lilac and white – the national colors –, the emblem of the kingdom; a full moon emerging from behind the mountains. Behind her there were tall, elegant windows. Outside, a furious snowstorm raged on. They even had to cast an insulator spell to deafen the noise it made.</p><p>Kieu My looked around the table, where four pair of eyes were eagerly waiting for her to say something. They were none other than her best friends, now her closest consultants. She wasn’t really used to bossing them around, she always tried to never speak out, and tended to be just a bit more quieter than the others. But that had to change. She was the queen now, even if she had to keep reminding herself that every morning.</p><p><em>Come on, Kieu My</em>, she thought. <em>Show some queen flair. </em></p><p>“First order of the day: our relations with the Kingdom of the Sun” she started saying, trying to project a powerful voice. “There’s been some disarray in the border lately; apparently there have been some rumors of queen Ava hating our people and wanting to attack us. Two days ago, I received a letter from her explaining the situation, and thankfully she had a brilliant idea we followed through immediately. We wanted to do this as fast as possible, that’s why I didn’t tell you until now. Anyways, she proposed…”</p><p>“Did she clarify if the rumors were true or not?” Constantin; pale, blond, and always with an expression of disgust, interrupted her. By his side, Ismail, with black curly eyes, tried to contain a smile, with no avail. “Did she?” Constantin looked at her, eyes stone cold. Kieu My was taken aback by his stare, but managed to keep her royal expression.</p><p>“Of course they weren’t true, Constantin. Neither she or I want more bloodshed.”</p><p>“You can’t never know with those filthy Southerners. They are really sketchy. Remember what started the war” there it was, the typical “Constantin face”. Zoe liked to call it the “Constantpain” expression. Kieu My repressed a smile.</p><p>“That was years ago, Constantin. Also, we all know where those rumors stem from” Ismail wasn’t even trying to cover himself anymore. He bursted into laughter. “Ismail, this is serious. We can’t move forwards if there’s still hate between the two kingdoms”.</p><p>“I’m sorry, honey. I promise we just thought of it as an innocent prank” Ismail was not very convincing after laughing out loud, to be honest, but Kieu My saw some remorse in their eyes. “Right, Constantin?”</p><p>“Well, speak for yourself” said a sulking Constantpain.</p><p>“Anyways…” continued Kieu My. “Queen Ava’s plan was to send us some pegasi as a gift and an offer of peace, as a reassurance of her intentions. As such, last night her Royal Stables supervisor, Fatou, brought them here. She’s resting in her room as we are speaking, while the pegasi are safely accommodated in the stables.”</p><p>“Oh, Fatou is here? That’s so great! She was so cute back at the academy!” bursted the happy-go-lucky Zoe. Kieu My smiled. At least she wasn’t the only one who was happy to see Fatou.</p><p>“Wait a minute” there was Constantin again, complaining. “You mean one of <em>her</em> closest allies is <em>here</em>? In the palace? You know she could be planning to kill you at this exact moment, right?”</p><p>“To be fair, I have also thought about that” Kieu My lowered her face as she was saying that, so that no one could see her turn red, while she remembered her reaction last night. <em>I still think the same, though</em> her little voice told her, which didn’t help. At all. She quickly cleared her voice. “But I’m sure she won’t do anything. I mean, we are talking about Fatou. She is incapable of hurting anyone.”</p><p>“She <em>wasn’t</em> capable of hurting anyone, Kieu My. That was before the war. Before everything. Who knows how she’ll be right now” Constantin was starting to annoy her, but Kieu My didn’t know how to get him to shut up. “I vote she leaves immediately.”</p><p>“Have you been outside, Constantin?” Kieu My pointed to the window. “She will probably be unable to fly home for at least a couple of days” and the queen couldn’t be happier. “So, in the meantime, let’s be nice to her, okay? She is our guest, but she’s more than that; this visit is a symbol for the relationship we aspire to have with the Kingdom of the Sun. That’s why I was thinking of organizing a feast and a ball in her honor tonight…”</p><p>“YOU WANT TO WHAT? FUCK THIS, I’M OUT” yelled Constantin. Furious and overly dramatic, he stood up and stormed off the room.</p><p>“Anyways…” said Zoe after a few awkward moments. Kieu My could see how the air seemed less thick with him out of the room. “I think that’s a great idea! If you don’t mind, I would love to organize everything.”</p><p>God, Kieu My was so glad she had Zoe with her.</p><p>“I was actually gonna propose it to you anyways” Kieu My smiled, and Zoe clapped enthusiastically.</p><p>“I have so many ideas already! It’s gonna be great, just you wait!”</p><p>“Glad to hear that. I’m counting on you, then. Next point; we need someone to take care of the pegasi.” Kieu My hadn’t actually resolved that yet. “I was thinking either Finn or Ismail could do the job”.</p><p>“Sure, I’ll do it” said the smiling Asian guy by Zoe’s side – <em>wait</em>, Kieu My thought to herself. <em>What does “Asian” mean? This is a fantasy world</em>.</p><p>Nevertheless, she jumped on her seat. He had so little personality she sometimes forgot he was actually in the room with them.</p><p>“Don’t be silly, Finny” Zoe, the blonde next to him, gave him a gentle pat on the arm. “You’re already the Royal Messenger and also the provisional Head Mage, honey. It would be too much”.</p><p>“Oh, you’re right” Kieu My sweared to God, Finn sometimes sounded so soulless.</p><p>“But, I’m captain of the Royal Guard and the military and all. I can’t do it” said Ismail. Kieu My had already thought about it, although she was hoping Finn would take the job.</p><p>“Well, <em>co-captain</em>” Kieu My pointed out.</p><p>“Are you saying…?” Ismail just caught on with her. Ismail and Kieu My, they were always in the same wavelength.</p><p>“Yes” Kieu My nodded. “We are already short on staff, and it was kind of a stupid situation to have co-captains, as if there weren’t any other jobs you could do.”</p><p>“But… Are you sure you want Constantin to have the sole control of the armed forces in the kingdom?” Ismail was now drop serious. Everybody held their breath, even Kieu My. That was the part she was more insecure about. It didn’t seem like a good idea, on paper. But Kieu My was starting to worry that Constantin’s toxicity would spread to Ismail. And, of course, there was also Fatou. Someone had to teach the supervisor how to take care of the pegasi, and she thought Fatou would be way more comfortable around Ismail than with Constantin, or even with Finn, to be honest.</p><p>“Hey, and why don’t you just hire someone else? You know, from the kingdom” Finn was weirdly participative that morning.</p><p>“There are not that many important characters in the show, you dumb-dumb” corrected him Zoe, baby-talking him. “And we are trying to stick with new gen only, at least for now.”</p><p>“Anyways… Back to it” Kieu My didn’t really understand all that bit, but it seemed important for some reason. “Yes, I think we should be fine for now. I will tell some unnamed guards to look after him just in case, but I think you, Ismail, should take over the stables. You could also take care of the palace affairs, shipping, and stuff like that”.</p><p>“If you are sure about this…” Kieu My nodded. Yes, she was sure. For real. “Then, I’ll gladly take the job, as you wish” Ismail finished with a dramatic bow.</p><p>“Thank you so much, Ismail” Kieu My smiled at her friends, and then stood up. “That was all, then. See you all in tonight’s ball. Don’t be late.”</p><p>Everybody bowed to her, and then started leaving the room. Only Zoe stayed by her side.</p><p>“Kieu My, do you want to start working on that ball? I already have like a million ideas” Zoe seemed really excited.</p><p>“I trust you to start without me. I have to check in on Fatou, and then I’ll join you, okay?” She had never been this anxious to go see a person before.</p><p>“Okay, then! You can count on me!” Zoe stormed out of the room, mumbling to herself.</p><p>Kieu My let out a large sigh. Now it was time to see Fatou. <em>Fatou</em>.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>She found her in her room, staring at the raging snowstorm outside. It was really noisy, but Fatou didn’t seem to mind. It also looked like she hadn’t groom herself today; she had her natural hair floating around her face, a white sleeveless tee and short burlap pants. Kieu My blushed intensely when she saw her, looking that good and without that many clothes on.</p><p>Fatou didn’t hear the door open due to the snowstorm, so Kieu My decided to approach her from behind.</p><p>“Good morning Fatou, I hope the blizzard didn’t disturb your sleeping” right beside her, Fatou jumped in the place, and then turned to see her. Kieu My noticed she was blushing. Poor her, she must have been embarrassed by the queen walking on her. “I’m sorry. You looked so marveled by the snow I didn’t want to disrupt you”.</p><p>“No, no, I’m sorry, I should’ve been alert” Fatou then looked at herself and blushed even more. “I’m sorry that you have to see me like that, your Majesty. I’ll put on some clothes right now.”</p><p>Before Kieu My could say anything, Fatou had stormed out of the windows side and went by her bed, where her clothes laid on the floor. As she clothed herself, Kieu My stared at Fatou. She was so dreamy. Even though outside was dark and gloomy, Fatou naturally illuminated everything around her, like a mini-Sun. It was amazing. No, <em>she</em> was amazing.</p><p>Fatou then joined her back by the window. She still looked a bit disheveled, but Kieu My didn’t mind it. At all.</p><p>They stared quietly at the snowstorm. Kieu My had always found the snow really hypnotic, and it calmed her a lot.</p><p>“So, I suppose you don’t see much snow in the Kingdom of the Sun, right?” she asked Fatou.</p><p>“No” Fatou nodded. “We hardly get any, normally once a year, and it almost never stays. But this is really beautiful, your Majesty.”</p><p>Kieu My wished Fatou would never stop calling her “your Majesty”. It made her feel things.</p><p>“If you want, we could talk outside?” she suggested. Fatou frowned and looked at her.</p><p>“In the storm?”</p><p>“Right, you aren’t a mage” Kieu My understood. It was so weird to think that there were people who didn’t use magic in a daily basis. “Come closer, please” Kieu My’s heart started beating faster and faster when Fatou came just a few inches close to her face. They could touch each other’s foreheads if they wanted to. “This will feel a little bit weird, but it’s normal. I’m just gonna cast a spell on both of us really quick.” She closed her eyes and, like an old friend, she could sense the magic emanating through her pores, just as her ancestors had been doing for generations. “<em>thâm chyane tjie”</em> she whispered, as she held Fatou’s hand. They were rough and surprisingly warm. Kieu My could stay in those hands forever. But there was no time to waste.</p><p>She opened her eyes again to a Fatou who was staring intensely into her, which made her blush even more, and flabbergasted a bit. She didn’t know how to react, so she abruptly let go of Fatou’s hands.</p><p>“We’re ready now” muttered, not wanting to look her. Her insides were still processing that gaze. She then opened the windows and stepped outside. Thanks to the magic, Kieu My didn’t feel anything. Fatou was still inside, but feeling the wind embracing her.</p><p>“I… I don’t feel the cold” she was in shock.</p><p>“I just casted a protection spell on you. You’ll be able to go through the snow now. Come, it’s even more beautiful from the outside” Kieu My invited her to join her at the balcony.</p><p>Fatou did so, and looked around her, her mouth completely opened in a joyous expression. Snowflakes were rapidly covering her hair and clothes, but she didn’t mind. She started running around and spinning, letting out a lovely joyous laugh. It was the best sound Kieu My had ever heard. Then, she had an idea.</p><p>Using her natural magic once more, she managed to capture some of the snowflakes, morphing them into a small-scale ice pegasus. Then, she went up to Fatou, and gave it to her.</p><p>“My gift for you. So you remember your stay at the palace” Kieu My said, shyly. Fatou looked at her intensely, and then back at the pegasus.</p><p>“She looks just like Maike! Thanks so much, your Majesty”.</p><p>“She?”</p><p>“Girls are prettier, and this pegasus is also really beautiful. It’s only natural that it’s a she”. Kieu My’s heart started racing. <em>Oh</em>, she thought.</p><p>Her move.</p><p>“You’re right. Girls are way prettier than boys.” They both exchanged a knowing stare. Kieu My gulped. What was she supposed to do now?</p><p>“Anyways” Fatou looked back at the pegasus. “Did you come here to tell me something?”</p><p>“Oh, yes, right” Kieu My was a bit disappointed that their moment had passed, but it was only natural. <em>There’s no way she’s into you, Kieu My</em>, her little voice said. And she was right. There were too many differences between them. “We just started setting up tonight’s ball and banquet in your honor, and, again, it would be amazing if you could sing for us.”</p><p>“I’ll… I’ll think about it” Fatou didn’t looked so convinced. “But there’s a problem with the ball. I don’t have any dress, these are the only clothes I brought” Fatou pointed at herself.</p><p>“Don’t worry, I’ll send Zoe afterwards so she can get you a dress, and maybe some more clothes. It seems you’ll be staying here for a while” Kieu My pointed at the snowstorm.</p><p>“Yeah” Fatou didn’t looked as sad as she was supposed to be. Was that a good signal? Kieu My didn’t know.</p><p>“So, in the meantime…” Kieu My started. “I just appointed Ismail as our new Royal Stables Supervisor, and he will need someone to instruct him in the job.”</p><p>“Oh. Yes, I can do that, your Majesty” Fatou nodded. She seemed a bit out of it, but Kieu My didn’t know why. Desperately, she started using her powers again, so that little strains of snow would dance around them. Fatou looked up, her eyes shining again, and gazed at Kieu My’s creation, marveled.</p><p>“You really are the Ice Queen, huh” Fatou muttered. Kieu My lightly laughed.</p><p>“Yeah, I suppose.”</p><p>“And everyone in the kingdom is able to do this?”</p><p>“No” Kieu My nodded. “You still have to learn magic at a young age, and there are all different sorts of magic types. In the palace, only Finn and I can do ice magic, and we are the only ones that have it in our blood. We learn it naturally while we grow up, no need of glyphs or magic lessons or anything” Kieu My explained. “We both hail from a small town in the mountains, Nukk Dâ Town. It is said to be the oldest inhabited place in the continent, and we have our own language, customs, and, of course, the ice powers. Only people from Nukk Dâ have magic in their blood.”</p><p>“That’s so cool” Fatou looked very interested in her story.</p><p>“And you know what’s even cooler? We are sometimes called “the Kids of the Moon”, because there’s an old tale in our town that says that we were made out of the Moon’s light.”</p><p>Fatou’s eyes wide opened.</p><p>“Really? That means… Wow. Just wow” she seemed really excited for something. Kieu My smiled at her, not being able to contain herself.</p><p>“What is it?”</p><p>Fatou smiled slyly.</p><p>“You’ll see it when I sing my song at the ball tonight”. Kieu My’s heart lighted up.</p><p>“I’ll be looking forward to it, then” Kieu My couldn’t stop smiling at Fatou.</p><p>“And, was it hard learning how to control your powers and all?” Fatou leaned towards the banister. Kieu My, widening her smile, leaned next to her.</p><p>“Well, you know. The cold never bothered me anyway.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Back in Fatou's POV, she has now to prepare for the ball.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Fatou was finishing doing her hairdo; two comfy space buns, when she noticed a small piece of parchment that had been slipped under her bedroom door. Frowning, she opened the door and looked both ways, but the hallway was empty. She closed the door again, picked the thing from the floor, and read it.</p>
<p>
  <em>Meet me at tonight’s ball.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>I’ll be the waitress with the sun pin. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Y.</em>
</p>
<p>“Y”. Yara. Yara wanted to talk with her. Fatou didn’t like that. She just wanted to fulfill her duties as the appointed Royal Stables Supervisor and, of course, spend some time with queen Kieu My in the meantime. She didn’t have time for stuff like that.</p>
<p>While she searched for the lute Finn had brought to her moments ago, so she could rehearse tonight’s performance, she thought about Yara. She hadn’t actually met her in real life, although she had heard tons of stuff about her. Yara actually hailed from the Kingdom of the Stars, so she wasn’t affected by the war. She was also Josh’s best friend, in fact, everybody thought they were together before Josh started courting Nora. She was originally going to move to the Kingdom of the Sun, but she also wanted to study magic, kinda like Kiki’s situation. Queen Ava visited her, and they talked it out; she would be a spy for the Kingdom of the Sun, as Ava – rightfully – didn’t really trust Constantin or Ismail.</p>
<p>Anyways, Fatou picked up the lute and sat on the large bed, tuning it. It was a beautiful instrument, Finn said that queen Kieu My herself had picked it up for her. It had golden filigrees with stars patterns, and the wood was bright and beautifully polished. Did it meant anything? Probably not, it was probably just a formality on Finn’s part. There’s no way Kieu My herself had invested some valuable time picking a dumb instrument for a commoner. No way.</p>
<p>After it was tuned up, Fatou cleared her voice and started playing a simple but hauntingly beautiful melody. After she had looped it a couple of times, she started singing. She had a soft and sweet voice, designed to melt away even the coldest of ices:</p>
<p>
  <em>Once upon a time in a faraway land</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Lady Moon wanted to father a child</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>But no one but mountains were treasured away</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>In that fairly dark faraway land…</em>
</p>
<p>Fatou stopped singing, as she could hear someone knocking on the door. She carefully placed the lute on the bed and went to open the door. It was Zoe, followed by two very distressed servants that were holding all sorts of clothes between their arms.</p>
<p>“Fatou!” Zoe went right straight into her arms, hugging her. “It’s so nice to see you! I was so happy when Kieu My told me you were here!”</p>
<p>Fatou couldn’t help it but smile.</p>
<p>“It is also really good to see you here, Zoe. So, I see you’ve brought me some clothes?” she said, glancing at the pile of clothes.</p>
<p>“Yes! You have to look decent tonight, and I also brought some fits you could wear in your stay here. They are all Kingdom of the Ice <em>haute couture</em>! Guys, please, place the clothes on the bed” Zoe pointed towards it. Fatou managed to save the lute moments before the servants dumped the piles on the bed.</p>
<p>“Take a look, pick whatever you want. I’ll help you” both of them walked by the bed, while the servants stayed in a corner of the room.</p>
<p>“By the way, Zoe” Fatou remembered. She started looking around the room for her bag. “Greetings from Nora”.</p>
<p>“Aww. I really miss her” Zoe seemed a little sad.</p>
<p>Fatou found the bag and started searching for the parchment.</p>
<p>“She is very sorry she missed your engagement party, but she wasn’t feeling very well. She also promises to go to your wedding. And…” Fatou finally found the picture and handed it over to Zoe. “She drew you this! She was actually gonna give it to you in the engagement party, but you know…”</p>
<p>Zoe became teary-eyed looking at the drawing. She swept away her tears with the side of her hands, and then smiled, with her lips shaking. She seemed worried.</p>
<p>“So, she’s not getting better?”</p>
<p>“I mean, she definitely is better than a month ago, that’s for sure” Fatou tranquilized her. She shrugged. “But, you know, it changes from day to day. She says she’s trying to live day by day, moment by moment. Minute by minute.”</p>
<p>“That’s sweet. I… I wish I were there with her” Zoe’s voice was shaky, as she folded the drawing and put it in her dress’ pocket. “But, you know…” she conjured a small flame between her fingers that vanished moments away. “Thank you for taking care of her. Well, thanks to you, Josh, Mailin, Ava, everyone. I know she’s in great hands, nevertheless. But still… It stings, you know?” she looked miserable.</p>
<p>“Can… Can I hug you?” Fatou said, shyly.</p>
<p>Zoe nodded violently, now clearly crying.</p>
<p>“Please” her voice cracked at the end.</p>
<p>Fatou gently hugged her, caressing her and letting Zoe cry on her shoulder. She could sense how much she had to held inside her to maintain her happy-go-lucky persona in front of the kingdom, and she could relate to that too. In the Kingdom of the Sun and within her friend group, she was the weird dreamy happy girl. And sometimes, that sucked.</p>
<p>They were like that for a while, until Zoe calmed down. Fatou stopped hugging her, but looked at her, preoccupied. Zoe closed her eyes and took a long breath. When she opened her eyes again, she seemed as happy as always.</p>
<p>“Woah, I really need it that. Thanks” her smile was so sincere Fatou almost started crying. “Also, I have to say, you give the best hugs. Your future girlfriend is gonna be so lucky” she commented.</p>
<p>For some reason, when Fatou heard the words “your future girlfriend”, queen Kieu My came to her mind. She hated herself for that, but she couldn’t help it either.</p>
<p>“You like girls, right?” Zoe cut her daydream and, for once, Fatou was thankful for that.</p>
<p>“Yes, yes. No boys please” Fatou smiled.</p>
<p>“Uhum. Just like Kieu My” Zoe said quietly, nodding to herself before turning her sight to the pile of clothes in Fatou’s bed.</p>
<p>Fatou went red, and her heart started beating so fast she thought it was gonna fly off her chest. <em>It’s not gonna happen,</em> she thought. <em>It’s not gonna happen. It’s not gonna happen. Stop creating expectations cause it’s not gonna happen</em>. It broke her heart, but it was true. There were too many differences between them. It wouldn’t work. But still…</p>
<p>She then remembered something she once heard in the Academy. An exchange student from the Mauve Federation had spread it around campus: “<em>no te puto pilles</em>”<a href="#_ftn1" id="_ftnref1" name="_ftnref1">[1]</a>. She didn’t know what it really meant, but the exchange student told everyone it was what they said in the Federation when they started falling for someone they shouldn’t fall in love with. And it was perfect for the occasion. So Fatou started repeating it in her head like a mantra, over and over again: <em>No te puto pilles. </em><em>No te puto pilles. No te puto pilles. No te puto pilles…</em></p>
<p>“Hey, shall we go through the clothes now?” once again, Zoe snapped Fatou out of it.</p>
<p>“Yes, yes, let’s do that” quickly said Fatou, focusing on the clothes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>In the end, it took way more time than they both thought. Fatou ended up getting four shirts, two jackets, a beautiful hooded cape, three trousers, one skirt, one dress, and, of course, her ball fit.</p>
<p>Zoe couldn’t stay to help her get ready, cause she herself wanted to shine that night, but she sent some chatty servants to help her. They ended up braiding her hair in a flowing mane with some pink and purple highlights and small flowers as ornaments; and she wore a sleeveless white dress that tied from her neck. It was simple but had golden filigrees that matched the lute. Also, it was comfortable enough for her to play the lute while wearing it, and it also reminded her of something the Moon Goddess would wear. Finally, she wore some sandals that went up past her ankle in a pattern that resembled vines. She also put some eyeliner and lipstick on.</p>
<p>At 7 pm, a servant came to take her to the ballroom. She was shaking, but the lute in her right hand calmed her a bit.</p>
<p>As they went into more busy hallways, she could see people noticing her and whispering stuff as she went by. Her anxiety spiked; she really didn’t like being the center of attention.</p>
<p>Alas, they got to the ballroom. After crossing the gates, Fatou couldn’t help but gasp. It was a room as big as a church, with giant chandeliers flying from a ceiling so high Fatou could barely see it. Giant windows showed the gentle snow outside, and the stone walls were covered to the brim with the banner of the kingdom, next to the Kingdom of the Sun one; in red and yellow, a fierce Sun. That banner looked so off there, just like Fatou. The dancefloor – which occupied half of the room – was filled to the brim with couples dancing around in elegant fits, and, in the other side, in a platform, there were the tables, full of delicious food, and with equally elegant people chatting and watching the dance. Traditional Kingdom of the Ice music filled the space, Fatou couldn’t find the musicians at first, but then she found them in a balcony, around 10 to 20 meters high off the ground. It was all breathtaking.</p>
<p>And, even then, from there, at the top of the staircase that descended into the ground floor, Fatou could clearly see queen Kieu My, sitting in the center of the largest table. Her heart started beating faster and faster. She had an elegant hairdo that helped showing off her beautiful crystal-like pendants, and a dark dress full to the brim with lace. Her make up also really contrasted with Fatou’s; she had a heavy black eyeliner, dark blush, and black lipstick. She looked intimidating and breathtaking at the same time. And, somehow, she noticed Fatou’s gaze, as she instinctively looked at where Fatou was, and smiled, waving at her. Fatou waved back and made her way across the room. Everybody stopped when she passed by, welcoming her to the kingdom and trying to talk to her, but Fatou was too anxious. She needed to get to queen Kieu My.</p>
<p>She finally got up to the banquet platform, and Kieu My got up and went up to her.</p>
<p>“I love your dress” she greeted her. Fatou turned red.</p>
<p>“You look as great as always, your Majesty” Fatou said, after she cleared her voice.</p>
<p>For some reason the queen lowered her gaze. Did Fatou do something wrong? Did she overstep? Fuck.</p>
<p>Thankfully, it was just for a moment; Kieu My raised her eyes again, and smiled at her.</p>
<p>“Are you ready to play your song?”</p>
<p>“Um, now?” Fatou hadn’t forgotten about Yara’s message, and she wanted to at least localize her before singing. As if she could read her mind, someone bumped into her. Fatou looked back and saw a waitress with long brown hair and a sun pin that gazed knowingly at her and discreetly nodded. There she was.</p>
<p>“Yes, if you don’t mind! I’ve been thinking about y… it non-stop all day! <em>Wait</em>, Fatou thought. <em>Did she…?</em> <em>Nah, no way</em>.</p>
<p>“Okay then, I’ll do as you wish, your Majesty” Fatou bowed to her. To be honest, it would be better if she could get done with it soon.</p>
<p>“Great then. Wait a moment” Kieu My closed her eyes, seemed to concentrate, and suddenly, the band stopped playing. Everybody then turned to her. Well, to Fatou and her.</p>
<p>“My people of this our Kingdom of Ice” Kieu My started saying, in a powerful voice, “tonight we celebrate this ball in honor of the friendship and strong bonds between our kingdom and the Kingdom of Sun. They sent us pegasi as a gift, out of their generous hearts, and with them came Fatou, the Royal Stables Supervisor and a very dear person to all of us who studied with her at the Academy. Everyone who knew her back at the Kingdom of the Stars knows that she’s a very special individual” Kieu My exchanged an intense stare with Fatou, leaving the latter breathless. She felt like her heart was gonna explode any second. “She has offered us to sing tonight, to share her talent with the kingdom, her own particular kind of magic. Please, everybody, give it up for Fatou Jallow of the Kingdom of the Sun!”</p>
<p>Everybody started clapping, following queen Kieu My, and Fatou had no other choice but to walk to the center of the dancefloor, where magically a stool had appeared. Everything was in utmost silence, and everyone looked at her, curious. The walk towards the stool felt like an eternity, it was like walking towards an illusion in the middle of the desert, with the hopes that it wasn’t.</p>
<p>And it was, indeed, a very real stool. Fatou sat down and started tuning her lute. She noticed every sound reverberated throughout the room; she couldn’t tell if it was magic or just genius architectural prowess. After everything was ready, she started playing that loved melody of hers. She let it play for a while, letting everyone get hypnotized by it. And then, she started singing, instinctively closing her eyes:</p>
<p>
  <em>Once upon a time in a faraway land</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Lady Moon wanted to father a child</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>But no one but mountains were treasured away</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>In that fairly dark faraway land</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Once upon a time in that faraway land</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Some riders came flying tryin’ to touch the stars</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>And saw Lady Moon and become to cry</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>For they hadn’t e’er seen anything quite as that</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Lady Moon saw the riders come to the faraway land</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>And she thought she might now have a chance</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>To father a child, a Child of the Moon</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Who she would treasure forever and so</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She spoke to the riders one magical night</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She said “oh riders, you have such prideful hearts</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>But please let me just birth one of your kind</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>They would be called Kid of the Moon</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>And I would love them to eternity and beyond”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>One of the riders, the proudest of all</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Who had fallen for her a few moments ago</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Responded with a kiss and a small dewdrop</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>As wedding gifts for the Lady in the top</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Their kid was known as the Kid of the Moon</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>And the cold was their friend and their color was blue</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Blue as the eyes of the sky up above</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Blue as their father’s eyes down below</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>With prowess that had never been known before</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>They married, had kids, and those kids as well</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Were blue as the sky, blue as the moon</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Who fathered and nurtured them with all of her soul</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>And when her own child had to fade away</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Due to the bindings of time and space</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She shed dreadful tears that sowed the land</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>And reaped the sky with both of her hands</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Her grandsons, who couldn’t stand it no more</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Sung her how she fathered their parent and more</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>How she was the light that preceded the fall</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>And how no one in life could ever surpass</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The prowess of Lady Moon and her love.</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="#_ftnref1" id="_ftn1" name="_ftn1">[1]</a> It’s a Spanish expression, it would literally translate to “do not fucking get caught in it” or something like that.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The ball rages on after Fatou's songs, and the plot thickens.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hey, i just wanted to tell you that i'm sorry but i don't think i'm gonna be able to update the fic as much as i want to. i'm not doing very well at the moment, i'm constantly exhausted which makes it really hard to write. i'll try writing as much as possible, but still, it won't be updated as much as i would want to.<br/>i'm sorry, and i hope you understand :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Fatou came quiet. Everything had stopped. She breathed once, getting out of the song. And, as she opened her eyes, the whole crowd started to clap. Queen Kieu My was standing up, with tears in her eyes. Even Yara, lurking in the shadows, seemed impressed. Fatou was shocked. She didn’t even remember what she was supposed to do for a second, until her eyes met Zoe, who did a mini-bow. Fatou then followed suit, she made her most elegant bow, as she continued being showered with the clapping, it was even deafening. Someone brought her the case for the lute; she had left in her room, and, robotically, without even feeling what she was doing, she opened it. Much to her surprise, Luna was rolled up in there, sleeping. Smiling, Fatou tucked the lute in the case, in a way where it wouldn’t disturb Luna’s sleeping. By the time she had closed the case again and she had stood up, the clapping was fading.</p><p>She made her way across the room to Kieu My, but everybody kept stopping her to congratulate her. Zoe gave her a big hug, and Finn, by her side, gave her two thumb ups. Even Ismail waved at her from the distance, oddly enough. Fatou was really anxious to work with Ismail, they scared Fatou a lot, so that really tranquilized her.</p><p>After a while, she got up to the banquet tables, and to Kieu My’s side, who couldn’t stop smiling.</p><p>“That was incredible, Fatou. I didn’t know you had such a good voice” Fatou turned red. She just realized that Kieu My had been there the whole time, <em>hearing her.</em> Fuck.</p><p>“Thank you, your Majesty” mentally Fatou was floating astray, she wasn’t even aware of what was happening or anything.</p><p>“We have to talk sometime about that song, you and I” wow, Kieu My’s smile really was something else. Fatou couldn’t get over how perfect she was.</p><p>“Whenever you want, I’m at your service, your Majesty” Fatou managed to smile.</p><p>“Anyways, now’s time to eat. Waiters!” Kieu My clapped, and everything came back to what it was before; the music started playing again, the couples resumed the dancing, and the waiters started serving tons and tons of new delicious food.</p><p>Fatou was seated next to queen Kieu My, and in front of Zoe. On her other side was Finn, and next to Zoe, in front of the queen, sat Ismail. They were all very friendly towards her, and Fatou could recover from what had happened prior throughout the long dinner, chatting mainly with Zoe. It was all way nicer that she anticipated, although she could sometimes perceive the icy glare of Constantin from a couple of seats to her right.</p><p>Fatou ate until she was about to explode and tried to small talk with Kieu My as much as possible, but she was also distracted talking with Ismail, so they didn’t talk much. With time, Zoe and Finn went to the dancefloor, and Ismail convinced Constantin to dance with them for some reason, so Kieu My and her were left alone in the main table, along with a few other rich folks from the kingdom. Dessert had just been served, so most of the action was in the dancefloor.</p><p>It was very awkward between them. Fatou was thinking about a conversation starter, when she noticed Yara staring at her from the sides. She had forgotten about her, fuck.</p><p>“Um, I just saw an old friend from the Academy, I’m gonna talk to her, I’ll be here in a second, your Majesty” said Fatou.</p><p>“Of course,” the queen convened, although she seemed a bit… disappointed? Nah, it couldn’t be.</p><p>Fatou made her way to Yara, across the room, under where the band was playing. It was a dimly lit area, perfect for a spy.</p><p>“You took your time” Yara seemed a bit annoyed.</p><p>“I’m sorry. I forgot” Fatou apologized.</p><p>“Anyways, this’ll be short” she seemed really really annoyed now, it kinda intimidated Fatou. “Wait. The queen’s watching us” she stared at some spot behind Fatou.</p><p>Fatou started turning, but Yara grabbed her by the shoulder.</p><p>“No, don’t turn. Let’s go over there” she pointed with her head to a less lit area. Fatou nodded, not wanting to disappoint her anymore, and they walked over there, trying not to be suspicious.</p><p>“I think we are safe here” muttered Yara. She gazed behind Fatou for a bit, then focused on her. “Yeah. Anyways, I just wanted to be sure you’re safe. Thankfully, the quickness of Ava’s plan prevented any premeditated move from Constantin and his minions, but that little shithead could be planning anything right now. I’ll keep an eye on him, but still, please be alert and on the lookout at all times. Do you have something to defend yourself?”</p><p>“Mailin gave me something, yes” Fatou had gone pale, she was starting to get very scared by Yara’s words.</p><p>“What was it?”</p><p>“I can’t say it” Fatou wanted to tell her it was the elemental pearl, but, for some reason, she couldn’t. She just couldn’t vocalize it. Thankfully, Yara seemed to pick up on what was going on.</p><p>“Oh, I see. Very bold of her, huh” she murmured. “It seems you are well prepared, but, just in case, have this” she tucked her hand into her waitress’ dress, and came out with a small golden metal star in her hand. She gave it to Fatou. “It is <em>shtä</em>, the Star of Time, a very powerful magical artifact, so take care of it. It is connected to my essence; you only have to toss it three times like a coin, and I’ll teleport to you, wherever I am. Got it?”</p><p>Fatou nodded, still a bit scared. She quickly hided it in her dress.</p><p>“Okay, gotta go. I have some hot girl shit to do” before Fatou could even start to process what the hell was that about, Yara just… poofed away. Just like that. Magic, man.</p><p>Fatou was shaking. What had she gotten herself into? She wanted to stay because of Kieu My, but still, it was really scary. She closed her eyes and breathed a few times, trying to calm down. She was gonna go up to Kieu My, and she was gonna ask her for a dance. Yes. That’s what she was gonna do. And maybe then she could seek her protection or something? Everything would be fine.</p><p>She opened her eyes again, and started making her way to Kieu My, but she could just take a few steps before a hand grabbed her arm and engulfed her into the darkness again.</p><p>Fatou recognized who he was instantly. His eyes had been piercing her all night, after all.</p><p>“What do you want, Constantin?” she tried to play it cool, although she was really frightened. He could kill her right there if he wanted.</p><p>“Who were you talking with?” spouted Constantin, his words filled with cascading anger.</p><p>Fuck. He saw Yara.</p><p>“None of your business” Fatou tried to break free, but his grip was really tight. He pulled her closer, nearly strangling her arm.</p><p>“Thank the queen, or if not, you would be dead right now. I don’t like you, Half Weed Brain. Never have, never will. And I know you and that bitchy Ava are planning something. You might have all of them convinced with your songs and your good manners, but I know the truth. And I’ll get through it. Watch your steps, Fatou. Watch your steps.”</p><p>He suddenly let go of her, and just stepped out into the ballroom, leaving Fatou scared for her life and on the verge of tears. She had never been more scared in her life. Fatou let herself fall to the floor and rested her head against the cold stone wall. What was everything in that kingdom so cold? The stone, Constantin’s eyes, Kieu My… Well, Kieu My wasn’t that cold. Fatou believed there was some warmth in her. Yes, Kieu My. Fatou started smiling, completely whipped. This was all for Kieu My.</p><p>She slapped herself, and, decisive, decided to tell Kieu My she was gonna go sleep. Maybe she could say she was feeling unwell or something; either way, the next day would be a brand-new day.</p><p>She got up, cleaned her dress a bit – she shouldn’t have chosen a white dress after all –, and returned to the lively dancefloor. She localized Kieu My, alone in the table and with a couple of empty glasses around her. She was chugging another one, filled to the brim with champagne. She looked distressed. What was happening?</p><p>Worried, she went up to her. Kieu My saw her, and her face quickly lit. She stopped drinking, and changed her demeanor, returning to her fabulous self.</p><p>“You finished talking to <em>your</em> <em>friend</em> now, Fatou?” she asked, calmly. Fatou didn’t know how, but the way she said “your friend” … it sounded like… jealousy? Nah, it couldn’t be.</p><p>“Yes, and, um, actually…” started muttering Fatou. Kieu My suddenly stood up, cutting her off.</p><p>“We are going outside to talk a bit, okay?”</p><p>“Your Majesty, with due respect, are you drunk?”</p><p>Kieu My looked at her with an undecipherable expression, then at the glasses by her seat.</p><p>“Oh, don’t worry, I have a high tolerance to alcohol. I’m just being a bit more… <em>adamant</em> than usual, if you will” Fatou’s brain stopped working. The way she said “adamant”. Oh Goddess, the way she said “adamant”. “No, but really, I told you I wanted to talk about the song”.</p><p>“Then, of course, I’ll follow you outside” Fatou nodded, still a bit taken aback by the queen’s change in demeanor. She still didn’t know if she liked it or not. Nevertheless, she followed her.</p><p>They abandoned the ballroom through a small door by the windows that led to a big balcony. The snowstorm had stopped and, even though it was chilly, Fatou didn’t mind. She was with Kieu My and Miss Moon, and her heart raced faster than ever.</p><p>They went over to the banister, leaning against it. Fatou left her lute case between her feet and, when she stood up again, there she was; the ice queen herself, staring at her with those two galaxy eyes, and offering her the purest and warmest smile in the world.</p><p>She was perfect.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Back in Kieu My's POV, she and her talk under Lady Moon's light.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kieu My was in complete disarray. She had lost it when Fatou left to talk with her “friend”. She had seen those looks. <em>I mean</em>, she thought, <em>I should’ve seen it coming</em>. Fatou was the most incredible human being ever, of course she would probably have lots of attention from the ladies. And it’s not like they were together or anything, Fatou could do whatever the hell she wanted. Also, they were too different. Kieu My should already know it was never going to work. But, still, Kieu My couldn’t help but burn with jealousy at that moment.</p><p><em>Calm yourself, Kieu My</em>. <em>You’re a royal, remember?</em>, she said to herself. She then just realized she had been staring at Fatou’s eyes soulfully for an uncomfortable amount of time. But Fatou hadn’t looked away. She probably didn’t want to upset the queen. Yeah, probably. That’s why Kieu My looked away, to the Moon, her old friend.</p><p>“So, how was it with your friend?” <em>Why did you had to say that, Kieu My??? Why???</em></p><p>“Great, great, it was really good to see her again” Kieu My noticed a subtle change in Fatou’s demeanor. She seemed… blue. Kieu My wanted to hug her, but, of course, that would’ve been very unprofessional of her.</p><p>“Did you wanted to talk about the song, your Majesty?” asked Fatou. <em>Oh, yes, the song!</em> Kieu My had been thinking about the song all night.</p><p>“Yes! You said your mother used to sing it to you when you were little, right?”</p><p>Fatou nodded.</p><p>“She would sing it to me so I would sleep, but I always got so caught up in the story that I’d just pretend to fall asleep” Fatou smiled softly, with a gust of nostalgia in her eyes. “You heard the “Kid of the Moon” part, right?” she looked at her. Kieu My could see Fatou had started to recover that light that she always seemed to emit naturally.</p><p>“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about!” Kieu My was started to get excited. She was really interested in that topic. “Not that many people know about Nukk Dâ, especially in the Kingdom of the Sun. Mayhaps your mother hailed from here?”</p><p>“No way” she nodded. “She was born and raised in the Kingdom of the Sun, we’ve been to her hometown countless times, deep in the forest. It actually looks like a fairytale; lots of mossy buildings, wooden paths and fairy lights…” Fatou’s face beamed with excitement. Kieu My loved when she did that. “But…” she pulled one finger up, “she used to tell my brother and I that these songs and legends have been passed from her family for generations, sort of like a family heirloom. So who knows…”</p><p>They both became suddenly quiet, staring at the moon, too shy to say what they should. <em>Maybe, just maybe</em>, started thinking Kieu My, while her heart was beating faster and faster.</p><p>“Maybe… Maybe we are not so different after all” Fatou nearly whispered, with a half-voice and a red face. Kieu My looked at her, surprised. That was exactly what she was thinking. “Who knows… It would be cool if we were both connected to Lady Moon, don’t you think?” Fatou looked back at her, her face caressed by the Moon’s light. She was breathtaking, and Kieu My was about to turn into jelly, swiftly melting away before Fatou’s warmth. Her heart was about to jump out of her chest.</p><p>“Yeah. It… It would be cool” she managed to mutter. Again, silence. But this was a different silence. It wasn’t awkward, no; it was a knowing one. A silence full of unspoken words. Kieu My got closer to Fatou, not really thinking what she was going to do, she saw Fatou leaning towards her… and then she felt something move between Fatou’s legs, inside the lute case.</p><p>“Um… Fatou, your case is moving” she hated to let go of that moment, but it was really freaking her out.</p><p>Kieu My could see a snippet of disappointment in Fatou’s eyes, this time for sure, which made her heart skip a beat; but it went away as soon as she squatted to open the seemingly haunted case. A weird white little thing jumped out of there, straight into Fatou’s arms, who hugged it lovingly. All her frustration of having to break that magical moment went away seeing how soft Fatou was with that creature.</p><p>“What is that?” Kieu My asked Fatou, softly. Fatou accommodated the white animal in her hands, and stood closer to Kieu My, so she could see it better. It was a weird creature, but it was making funny faces which made her laugh.</p><p>“She is Luna, and she is an axolotl. They are luck charms in the Kingdom of the Sun”.</p><p>“Hello Luna” Kieu My baby talked to her, caressing her with a finger. It wasn’t a pleasant touch, but she didn’t say a thing, cause Fatou really did seem to care for the little thing “You’re a funky little creature, huh”.</p><p>Kieu My just realized Fatou and her were really close. Like, <em>really</em> really close. Like, she could kiss her if she wanted to. Well, she <em>did </em>wanted to kiss her.</p><p><em>Fuck it</em>, she told herself.</p><p>In a spur of adrenaline, and while Fatou was focusing on Luna, Kieu My grabbed Fatou’s chin towards her, and kissed her passionately under the moon and the stars.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>What happens after Kieu My's bold move?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kieu My let go after she realized what she had done.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry I…” Fatou’s expression was undecipherable. She bent down and put Luna back in the case. “It was very indecent of me to…”</p>
<p>Fatou cupped her head and kissed her, leaving Kieu My breathless. It all seemed like a dream. But it was real. It was real.</p>
<p>After that kiss there was another. And another. And another. They were telling each other everything they needed to know, no words needed, just love and tenderness. Lady Moon was looking over them like a proud mother, caressing them both while they were shining like twin stars in the most beautiful night sky to ever exist. They were burning brighter than ever, having found their missing other half. They were finally, and utterly, complete.</p>
<p>And when the kisses became less anxious and more comforting, leaving space for touches and tenderness, it only felt natural that, just as the night sky, it had to come to an end.</p>
<p>“I should go back to the ball” panted a very red Kieu My, between kiss and kiss. “They’ll notice I’m missing any moment now” another kiss.</p>
<p>Fatou nodded, equally red and with sparkling shiny eyes that oozed love. “Okay”.</p>
<p>One last kiss, and they let go, panting and puffing and trying to recover their breaths. Fatou picked up the case from the floor, after seeing that Luna had fallen asleep.</p>
<p>“She really was a luck charm, huh” Fatou whispered softly, smiling from ear to ear.</p>
<p>Kieu My’s heart skipped a beat, while she admired her now… more than a friend, under the moonlight. She would never get over how beautiful Fatou was, gosh.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I guess she was” Kieu My smiled back at her. “Well, I’ll… I’ll be going inside, then” she pointed to the ballroom, nervously. How was she gonna survive the rest of the night without Fatou? Or the rest of her life, to be fair?</p>
<p>“I… I’ll go this way then” Fatou pointed to a small door that led to the hallway, awkwardly. It was all a bit awkward between the two of them. <em>How do you act after </em>that<em>???</em> Kieu My thought to herself, while she started walking towards the ballroom, but without wanting to face away from Fatou, really slowly. Fatou did the same, she even hit herself with the wall before finding the door, chuckling awkwardly.</p>
<p>“Well, see you, I guess” she waved at her, and disappeared.</p>
<p>“See you” replied Kieu My, although Fatou couldn’t hear her no more. Kieu My bit her lip as she rested her head on the castle’s wall, reminiscing about what had just happened.</p>
<p>She kissed Fatou. She kissed Fatou. <em>She kissed Fatou</em>.</p>
<p>She wanted to dance so bad, and scream, and jump, and let everybody know that she really liked Fatou Jallow. But she couldn’t. Not now. She had to be the queen. She closed her eyes and focused. After a while, her heart was finally beating at a normal rate, and she decided to go back to the ballroom.</p>
<p>At first it was deafening and really disorienting, hearing the loud music, the loud voices, the laughter, the callous screams, the fracking of the dresses… And there were so many colours in there, why couldn’t everything be just like Fatou, her, and Lady Moon???</p>
<p>But Kieu My was the queen, so no one noticed, and she managed to adjust to the ballroom somewhat fast. Quietly, she returned to her seat at the table, alone, but in such a position that anyone could see her from any point in the room. Some of them started waving and bowing at her, and she responded, smiling. She couldn’t stop smiling, even if she wanted to.</p>
<p>After a while, she noticed Constantin was walking up to her. She really didn’t want to deal with him, but she was still her friend – for some reason.</p>
<p>“Your Majesty, I have an urgent matter to discuss with you” he looked very serious.</p>
<p>“As you wish, General” she invited him to sit in front of her.</p>
<p>“A couple of hours ago I saw Fatou Jallow whispering some concerning-looking information to a mysterious woman that disappeared in thin air after the conversation ended” Oh, yes, Fatou’s friend. Kieu My couldn’t believe she had been jealous of her.</p>
<p>“Constantin, we are all mages, it’s not that weird for her to disappear out of thin air” she brushed his words off.</p>
<p>“I know, I was talking about the suspicious conversation. And now she’s nowhere to be found. I think they are complotting against your demise, you Majesty” Constantin had scary-looking eyes that sent a shiver down Kieu My’s spine.</p>
<p>“I actually accompanied her to her bedroom, she wasn’t feeling so well. She told me that woman was a friend of hers from the Academy. She is not complotting against me, I can assure you of that, General. Also, she’s now under my protection” Kieu My added, just in case. “She won’t be harmed as long as she stays in my kingdom. Do you understand it?”</p>
<p>“Yes, your Majesty” Constantin spouted the words. There he was, acting again like a boy diva.</p>
<p>“Anyways, I’m going down to the dancefloor” Kieu My couldn’t stand being around him anymore. She wouldn’t let him ruin that wonderful night.</p>
<p>She left the dining area, and went to the dancefloor, where she talked with aristocrats and other nameless fake people that held all the power in the kingdom.</p>
<p>“Kieu My!” Zoe came to the rescue when she was talking about the inflation in the pinheads’ sector with a bunch of old men that all thought she shouldn’t even be queen.</p>
<p>“Sorry, I have to go” Kieu My managed to mutter, before nearly crashing into Zoe, who was a bit tipsy and dancing her ass off in the middle of the dancefloor. Finn was nowhere to be seen.</p>
<p>Kieu My started dancing with her, getting infected with Zoe’s natural happiness.</p>
<p>“Finn just left, so I was left here all alone” Zoe explained, yelling above the music. Kieu My nodded to let her know she was listening. “I saw you leaving with Fatou before”.</p>
<p>“She wasn’t feeling well, and I escorted to her room” she lied. Thankfully, Zoe wasn’t in total control of her senses, so she didn’t notice how red Kieu My had gotten.</p>
<p>“Ooh. And what did you talk about?”</p>
<p>“Axolotls. Apparently, they are good luck charms” Kieu My smiled.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The party dragged on for a couple hours more before everybody started leaving. Kieu My left Zoe on goodbye duty, and she escaped to her bedroom. Once she closed the door behind her, she let herself think about Fatou and their kisses again.</p>
<p>She jumped into the bed and buried her head into her pillow, screaming like a little girl. She couldn’t believe it herself, it all seemed unreal. She kissed Fatou. And tomorrow she would see her again. And then – at least that’s what she wished – again, and again, and again. Fatou liked her. <em>Fatou liked her.</em></p>
<p>She jumped out of bed, and nearly ran all the way to the windows. She opened them and pushed half of her body out, letting the cold wind breeze through her face. Then, she looked up to Lady Moon and her Stars, and smiled. Was Fatou doing the same thing right now, looking at the sky at thinking about her the way Kieu My was thinking about Fatou? Kieu My wished so.</p>
<p>Later, when she managed to fall asleep, she dreamed of a Moon Goddess that had Fatou’s face, caressing and embracing her.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Fatou wakes up after everything that happened the previous night with some messages to attend to.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Fatou opened her eyes the following morning, she thought immediately on what had happened that previous night. She blushed intensely, trying to wrap her head about everything. Kieu My liked her. <em>Kieu My liked her.</em> Her heart started beating fast. She couldn’t seem to wait for the next moment she would see her.</p><p>Suddenly, someone knocked in her door. Fatou’s heart skipped a beat, and she smiled. It was going to be her.</p><p>Prancing and trying to keep herself together, she went to the door, and opened it, trying to look as confident as possible, for the queen.</p><p>But it was a very weirded out Finn who was on the other side of the door. He had a letter in his hand.</p><p>“Good morning Miss Fatou, I hope you had a good time yesterday night” he greeted her, with that weirdly robotic voice he had, devoid of any personality whatsoever.</p><p>“Good morning, Finn” Fatou tried not to look to disappointed.</p><p>“I have two messages to deliver for you this morning” as he was saying that he put two fingers up to remark his words. “The first one is from the queen herself. She requires you in her chambers at noon. Apparently, she wanted to talk to you about some confidential information.”</p><p>Fatou’s heart accelerated its beating. She was gonna see <em>her</em> later today. Fatou could hardly contain her excitement.</p><p>“And the second message?” she asked.</p><p>“This letter appeared in the post office at dawn today, it says it’s for you. So, here you go” he handed the letter over to Fatou, who was intrigued by its content, although she was still mooning about meeting up with Kieu My later.</p><p>“Thank you” she managed to mutter.</p><p>Finn took a bow and disappeared down the hallway. Fatou closed the door and sat on her bed, rushing to open the letter and get it over with so she could continue daydreaming about the queen.</p><p>It was short and straight to the point.</p><p>
  <em>Meet me in the marketplace before midday. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>I’ll be in the avocado stand. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Y.</em>
</p><p>Another Yara note. What the hell did she want now? Anyways, she should get going if she wanted to be at Kieu My’s by noon.</p><p>After getting ready, putting on some of the clothes she had chosen with Zoe, much more warmer than the typical Kingdom of the Sun garments, she made sure Luna was fed and happy in her little nook inside the lute’s case, before heading out through the balcony. It had stopped snowing, but it was still cold, and Fatou couldn’t be more thankful for the fur boots she had on, as it was nearly impossible getting through the snow without them.</p><p>Her first stop were the stables, she hadn’t checked on the pegasi since she had gotten there. She specially missed Maike, Fatou was used to confiding all of her secrets on her.</p><p>However, as she entered the building, she noticed she wasn’t alone in there. Ismail, with a dark lipstick and a fashionable cape, clumsily caressed Maike’s temple, who in return was a bit wary of them, alert but letting Ismail touch her nevertheless.</p><p>“She’s not gonna bite you, Ismail” greeted them Fatou, approaching them with confidence. The stables, any stables, were her territory, she felt at ease in there.</p><p>Ismail got startled, and looked at Fatou, who smiled in return.</p><p>“Oh, sorry Fatou, I was just… I don’t know if the queen told you, but I’ve been appointed the Royal Stables Supervisor”.</p><p>Fatou nodded.</p><p>“Yes, she has informed me of it. And she has also asked me to instruct you for the job.”</p><p>“That was what I thought, to be honest. But I didn’t know when we would start, that’s why I decided to come here on my own just in case” Ismail explained. “I… I really want to do this right” they looked at Maike, with a slim fear in their eyes.</p><p>Fatou was heartwarmed by Ismail’s presence, contrary to what she would’ve expected. They really wanted to properly do their job, and for that, Fatou respected them a bit more. First Kieu My, then Ismail; her stay in the Kingdom of Ice was becoming more and more eye-opening by the minute.</p><p>“That’s great then” said Fatou softly. “Um… I don’t really have that much time this morning, but maybe we could start your training this afternoon? At 5?”</p><p>“Great!” Ismail smiled, happy.</p><p>“Well, I’ll be going, then” Fatou waved them goodbye. “You can pet them no problem, Machwitz is a bit more unstable than the others, but if you give him a couple apples he should calm down” she explained to them while she made her way across to the other entrance to the stables.</p><p>She could hear Ismail quietly muttering “gotcha” before going outside into the Citadel.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Citadel of the Kingdom of Ice was nothing like the Kingdom of Sun one; instead of colorful stucco houses and the salty smell of the sea, here there was an abundance of narrow and steep cobblestone streets with stone houses and huge public squares. It took a while until Fatou managed to find the Marketplace, the heart of the city; full of hot chocolate and sugared almond stands. In the center there was the market itself, flooded with people, loud and with all sorts of different smells coming from it. Nevertheless, for Fatou it was a comforting sight; she wasn’t used to this warmth in that cold place. For the first time, she could perfectly envision her friend Nora, buying hot chocolate with Kiki and Zoe and wandering through the market while they gossiped and fooled around.</p><p>Once she actually got into the stands, it was all like a maze; there were all kinds of products: bakery goods, roasted duck, fruits, vegetables, jewelry, papyrus and other exotic goods, and lots of different woolen textiles, all of them really exquisite and with beautiful and intricate designs. It was there, while she was being fascinated by an ochre scarf that had a phoenix being reborn from its ashes embroidered on it, that she overheard an interesting conversation.</p><p>“Did you hear about Carlos? He got beaten up the other day by some guards” a young maiden whispered. Fatou widened her eyes, shocked. Carlos was Kiki’s boyfriend.</p><p>“Poor guy, but he shouldn’t be defying the guards like that. They are already scary enough” her friend sighed.</p><p>“I think he was very brave. But yeah, at this rate, he’s gonna get himself killed before Kiki comes back.”</p><p>“He really was brave, saying what everyone of us is thinking. They are getting more and more oppressive as the day goes by. Do you know they just introduced a “guard tax”, where you must pay 21 coins in order to denounce someone?</p><p>“This is getting out of hands…” the tone of the girl was grim at best. “And, as always, the queen isn’t doing anything. I sometimes get the feeling they are the ones ruling the country, not her.”</p><p>“I feel the same, to be honest. In the end, even though she’s the face, Constantin and the army are controlling everything behind the scenes. Anyways, let’s go get some mangos, there, next to the avocados”.</p><p><em>Avocados!</em> Fatou’s head followed the girls, and there she was, a very bored-looking Yara, sitting next to her tiny avocado stand. She walked up to her, until Yara noticed her. Her face lighted up, and she stood up, as serious and menacing-looking as ever.</p><p>“You took your time” she reprimanded Fatou.</p><p>“I’m sorry, I got lost” Fatou would love not to feel like a tiny ant when speaking to Yara for once.</p><p>“Anyways, I wanted to talk with you. Wait a minute” she closed her eyes, and concentrated. “<em>bläss</em>” she whispered, as she snapped her fingers. Suddenly, Fatou could feel a difference in the atmosphere around them, but she couldn’t tell what. She looked around, confused.</p><p>“I just made it so that no one can see or hear us, don’t worry” Fatou was having a hard time getting used to magic, and Yara wasn’t helping with her stern demeanor. “Anyways, I wanted to talk to you about you and queen Kieu My.”</p><p>Fatou turned completely red, blushing really hard. <em>Wait</em>, she thought, starting to panic. <em>Does she know? Maybe she saw us?</em> She was a spy after all, she must have some tricks under her sleeve.</p><p>“I saw you leaving with her last night. It seems you two get along, right?”</p><p><em>Oh</em>, she thought, relieved. She realized she had been holding her breath, so she let a spur of air out, trying to be as discreet as possible.</p><p>“Yes. I would say we are close, yes.”</p><p>“Perfect. Then, I would need you for something. You might have heard some rumors about Constantin pulling the strings of the kingdom behind the queen’s back.” Fatou nodded, remembering the conversation she just had overheard. “Well, those rumors are more than true. Constantin has been mobilizing the army for months now, secretly recruiting new members and enforcing an iron grip in the urban guard, controlling the law and order in the cities and towns all along the kingdom. And, while all of this is happening, the queen just… doesn’t do anything. Her passivity is quite unnerving, and, after months of being here, I still don’t really understand her reasoning. I don’t even know if she’s aware of Constantin’s doings. That’s why I need you.</p><p>“Me?” Fatou wasn’t really following her. Yara nodded.</p><p>“I want you to let queen Kieu My know about Constantin’s doings, and hear what does she has to say about it, so we can understand her better. And, if you can convince her to get a grip of the general in the meantime… That would be great.”</p><p>“But…” said Fatou, trying to wrap her head around Yara’s words.</p><p>“I’m counting on you, Fatou. I’ll let you know whenever I need your services again” and just like that, she poofed away.</p><p>After that, Fatou noticed that weird change in the atmosphere going away. Everything went back to its usual marketplace self.</p><p>Serious, and thinking about everything Yara had told her, Fatou made her way to the palace again. It was getting close to noon now. After thinking about it for a while, she decided she was going to stick to Yara’s plan. After all, Constantin was a danger not only to her, but to the kingdom, and even to Kieu My. She better let her know, then.</p><p>Having made that decision, she lighted up a bit, smiling, and making her way to Kieu My. To queen Kieu My. To <em>her</em> Kieu My.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>After her encounter with Yara at the marketplace, Fatou finally gets to meet up with Kieu My.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey guys, just wanted to say that on Monday I'm starting uni again, so I won't be able to update it as often as now, I'm sorry :(</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After breathing deeply for a few moments, trying to keep her cool, Fatou knocked on Kieu My’s door. It immediately opened to a shy-looking queen, dressed in a white dress and with her long hair kept natural, without any kind of updos. Fatou was breathless, she looked too beautiful to be true.</p><p>“Hey” Kieu My whispered, softly. She was blushing like Fatou had never seen her blushing before, which made her even cuter. Fatou could feel her cheeks burning as well.</p><p>“Hey” Fatou replied with a shaky voice.</p><p>They just stared into each other for a moment, awkwardly, not knowing what to do, until Kieu My took a step forwards and softly kissed Fatou. In return, Fatou cupped Kieu My’s face, and kissed her as she hadn’t kissed her before, putting all of the love she held for her in it. When they finished that long kiss, looking at each other lovingly and sparks flying between them, Kieu My bit her lip and pulled Fatou towards her, while she closed the bedroom door. They kissed again, and again, and again, almost obsessively, but with the sweetest and most delicate caresses ever, feeling each other, none of them believing that was happening.</p><p>Kieu My guided Fatou through the chamber, huge and exquisitely decorated with stars and moons details, until they both fell on the softest bed Fatou had ever fallen into. They continued kissing and laughing for a while, until they became sweeter and more tender. They cuddled, Kieu My’s head on Fatou’s breast, while she caressed Kieu My’s naked arm with her thumb. They also held hands, playing with each other and tangling her fingers together.</p><p>“Did you know I used to have a crush on you when we were at the Academy?” Kieu My softly commented, after being silent for a bit, only hearing the beatings of their own hearts.</p><p>“Oh, really?” Fatou couldn’t help herself but smile. If only she could tell her younger self.</p><p>“Yes. In fact, you were probably my first big crush. My only girl crush, too” Kieu My looked at Fatou, lovingly. “You made me so confused about my sexuality, girl”.</p><p>Fatou laughed softly.</p><p>“And I thought I was over it, I mean, after you I continued finding women attractive, though I never had a crush on them. I thought I even was over <em>you</em>, until you showed up looking like a pegasus knight and suddenly I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”</p><p>Fatou thought she could die right there, at that precise moment. She didn’t know what to do with that much love in her, it was kinda scary. For now, she gently kissed Kieu My’s forehead and lips, leaving her queen with a goofy smile on. Fatou booped her nose, smiling tenderly.</p><p>“Why didn’t you talk to me, then? I also had a big fat crush on you, although it didn’t go away with the years” she commented. Kieu My hugged her tighter.</p><p>“I didn’t know how to talk to you. You scared me shitless, Fatou Jallow. You really did”.</p><p>“<em>I</em> scared you??? Your Majesty, you are the most terrifyingly stunning person I know. It shouldn’t be allowed for you to be this breathtaking, you know.”</p><p>“Mark your words, miss” commented Kieu My playfully, totally whipped, “or I might have to bury you in kisses”.</p><p>“Do as you will, then” Fatou taunted her, smiling devilish.</p><p>Kieu My jumped straight into Fatou’s arms, covering her in kisses and tickling her while she latched on top of her. They both went on to laugh and kiss in Kieu My’s bed, like two lovebirds that had just found their soulmates, hearts brighter and lighter than ever.</p><p>After a while, between all the kissing, Fatou’s stomach started to loudly grunt. Fatou remembered she hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast.</p><p>“Fuck” she said, bursting into laughter.</p><p>Beside her, Kieu My copied her, laughing until her face was as red as a tomato.</p><p>“Come, I ordered us a full course meal, here, at <em>chez</em> Kieu My” she jokingly said to Fatou, kissing her one last time before jumping out of bed and extending an arm towards Fatou.</p><p>“Oh my Goddess, how did you know <em>chez</em> Kieu My is my favourite restaurant?” played Fatou, taking her hand.</p><p>“You know, intuition”.</p><p>Kieu My led Fatou into a room next to the bedroom through a veiled archway that simulated a starry night sky. That room had a little lounge area, with a chimney and a couple of rocking chairs and, on an elevated platform by the windows, stood a beautifully made metal round table, with two equally-fancy chairs. The table was full to the brim with food Fatou had never seen.</p><p>“Wow” Fatou exclaimed as she sat on the chair, marveled.</p><p>“I hope you like it. I asked the chef to cook traditional Nukk Dâ cuisine. I would’ve loved to cook it myself, but I’m afraid I don’t know how to cook. At all” Kieu My confessed, ashamed.</p><p>“Don’t worry, I’ll cook for you another time, then.”</p><p>“Oh my Goddess, she even knows how to cook” whispered Kieu My in awe, eyes sparkling. Fatou chuckled.</p><p>“It’s not that big of a deal, and I had help learning my way in the kitchen. My father was the cook for the late King of the Sun, and he taught me a lot, you know.”</p><p>“It is a big deal! I wish I was as talented as you!” the queen complimented her, making Fatou blush as she picked up what it seemed like some sort of pancake full to the brim with meat and veggies that was held up by a piece of lettuce.</p><p>“Bold words to come from you, your Majesty, seeing how you’re an incredible mage and an even better kisser” just as Kieu My turned into a whole new tone of red, Fatou bit into the pancake-looking dish. It was sooo good, she even closed her eyes to be able to taste it properly. When she opened it again, Kieu My was leaning towards her with her eyes wide opened, expectant.</p><p>“And? Was it good?” she asked her, with contempt excitement in her voice.</p><p>Fatou nodded effusively. “It tastes amazing” she said, with her mouth still half-full. Kieu My leaned backwards again, relieved, and looked at her lovingly, with the biggest smile on her face.</p><p>They continued a bit without talking, tasting all the dishes and relishing on its taste. At one point, Fatou looked around the room, scanning the place, until her eyes got fixed on the painting that hang just above the chimney, of a small kid following a bunny in a snowed village full of pagodas and stone houses with strawed roofs.</p><p>“Is that Nukk Dâ Town?” Fatou asked, pointing at the painting. Kieu My nodded.</p><p>“I miss it so much. It’s so incredibly peaceful, it is unreal. And I know you would love it.”</p><p>“One day we could visit it” Fatou commented.</p><p>“Yes. That would be nice” Kieu My smiled, with dreamy eyes. “Maybe we could go next week? Although I’m sure Constantin will be opposed to it” she grunted.</p><p>Constantin. That was Fatou’s chance to bring up what Yara had told her.</p><p>“Hey, so, by the way” she started. Kieu My tilted her head towards her while she cut her roasted duck, letting Fatou know she was paying attention. “This morning I went to the Marketplace, to see how it was, and I heard a very interesting rumour” Kieu My lifted her head up, attentive. It was now or never. “Apparently, people are saying Constantin is mobilizing the army or something like that, and that he has the effective power in the end, not you. I thought it was stupid, but either way…” Kieu My had just dropped the cutlery in her plate.</p><p>“No, it could be real… It could very well be real, and they are true at least in the part that mentions me” she looked distraught. “I’m a terrible queen, Fatou. I wasn’t born to be one, I just wanted to do my ice magic and live a quiet life in Nukk Dâ Village. But after my father became king, I had to fulfill his legacy. And I’m trying, I’m really trying, but Constantin…” she looked into Fatou’s eyes, looking for help. Her voice was shaking. “Constantin terrifies me. Always has. Always will. And I knew it was him and Ismail who started the rumors about Ava and I didn’t stop them, because I’m a coward”.</p><p>“Don’t say that” Fatou said with a half voice.</p><p>“It’s true, Fatou, I’m a coward. Constantin could be plotting towards my demise right now and I wouldn’t be able to do anything to prevent it. I’m useless” Kieu My looked down, feeling miserable.</p><p>Fatou extended her arm across the table and tightly held Kieu My’s hand.</p><p>“Hey” Kieu My lifted her head towards Fatou. She had tears in her eyes. “You just need to stand up for yourself. You are Kieu My, the badass ice queen, and no Constantin is gonna be able to disrespect you, okay?”</p><p>Kieu My giggled while trying to fight her tears back. Fatou looked intensely into her eyes.</p><p>“And I’m gonna be with you through all of this, I promise. You’ll make it. We’ll make it. Okay?” Fatou said, softly.</p><p>Kieu My slowly nodded, while her lips formed a timid smile.</p><p>“I don’t know how I have survived until now without you, Fatou” she said, words full to the brim with love. “You are the light I’ve always needed.”</p><p>“And you are the dream I’ve always pursued, like Lady Moon in the night sky” softly responded Fatou. “And I’m never gonna let you go, okay?”</p><p>“Okay” at last, Kieu My genuinely smiled.</p><p>They were leaning towards each other to kiss, when a loud thump from the other room startled and scared them. They exchanged a frightened look. What was going on?</p><p>A few moments later, Constantin stormed into the room, followed by two heavily armed and stern-looking unnamed guards. He looked furious, but a trace of pride lighted up his eyes. He was holding a small linen bag in one hand.</p><p>“What is going on, general Constantin?” Kieu My asked with a shaking voice.</p><p>“Your Majesty, we’ve come to arrest the Kingdom of the Sun citizen Fatou Jallow, accused of potentially harming Kingdom of Ice citizens.”</p><p>With a triumphant look on his head, Constantin pulled upwards the bag, the same bag Mailin had given Fatou not that many days ago.</p><p>Fatou went pale. She was done for.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Back in Kieu My's POV, we get to see what happened after Constantin interrupted Kieutou's date.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kieu My let herself fall into one of the rocking chairs by the window, mentally and physically exhausted. It had been a busy day. As the tears rolled down her cheek, she recalled what had happened ever since Constantin accused Fatou after that incredible time with her that now seemed dream-like.</p><p>Constantin had brought evidence to support his allegation; one of the famed elemental pearls. Everybody knew about them and how dangerous they were. Fatou confessed to them, they were hers. She pledged for a chance to explain herself, and Kieu My was willing to let her do it, but Constantin wouldn’t take it. He started screaming and ordering the guards around, and they just grabbed her and took her away, while Fatou cried and Kieu My was just… there… doing nothing.</p><p><em>Like always</em>, she thought. <em>I’m always so useless</em>…</p><p>She hid her face with her hands as she recalled the trial. It was all for nothing; Constantin had very obviously bribed the jury and even the judge, so nothing that Fatou said was believed, and she was sentenced to the death penalty, taking effect the following morning.</p><p>Death penalty.</p><p>And she didn’t do anything. At all.</p><p>Kieu My was such in a state of shock, that she couldn’t help herself to speak her mind. She finally understood how much power Constantin had, and how doomed Fatou was, and she knew she theoretically had the authority to save her – she was still the queen, after all, - and even so, there she stood, useless. Again.</p><p>She still remembered the look in Fatou’s eyes as she was being dragged out of the courtroom. They weren’t hopeless, or terrified, but disappointed. At her. And rightfully, so.</p><p>
  <em>I didn’t do anything. I could’ve saved her, and still, I didn’t. </em>
</p><p>She convulsed violently, as her crying became more and more raw, rivers of warm tears rolling down her face. If Fatou was doomed, so was she. Kieu My didn’t think she could survive without her light. But if she couldn’t be brave enough that afternoon to save the best thing she had, she knew she wouldn’t have enough strength to end her life. No, she would have to run away from the palace, the kingdom, and everything else, to rot in her self-pity forever. Yes, that seemed like the logical option.</p><p>Somehow, she managed to stand up. She had to act quickly if she wanted to begin her new life, away from society. With a blurry vision, she looked around the room, and her eyes focused on the metal table, where not that much ago she had experienced the most beautiful moment in her life; just being able to exist with Fatou.</p><p>Mechanically, she went up to the table, and sat on Fatou’s chair. The food was still there, as if nothing had happened. She closed her eyes and thought of Fatou’s smile, Fatou’s eyes, Fatou’s laugh… Her heart started beating faster and faster; she was the brightest star in her universe, her sun and moon. She loved her. <em>She loved her.</em></p><p>Her blood rushed, and she opened her eyes.</p><p><em>What am I doing?</em> she thought to herself with a tint of anger. <em>What the fuck are you doing, Kieu My? It’s still not too late.</em></p><p>“It’s not too late” she said out-loud, realizing it. If she could be brave, for once in her life, she could save the best thing in her cosmos. It was now or never.</p><p>With her heart racing, and with a confident gaze, she made her way out of the dining area and into her bedroom, not really thinking about what she was about to do. She went up to her chambers’ door, opened it…</p><p>And nearly bumped into Ismail.</p><p>“Kieu My! I was just about to knock on your door…” Ismail said, surprised. “Wait, were you going out?”</p><p>Kieu My grunted and pulled them into her chambers, closing the door as well. She wanted to deal with them as fast as she could.</p><p>“Hey, I’m actually kinda on a rush right now, so, if this could be quick…”</p><p>“Yeah, no problem” Ismail reached out to their vest and took out a folded piece of paper. “Around fifteen minutes ago I got this paper slipped under my doorframe”.</p><p>They handled it to Kieu My who, impatient but also somewhat curious, unfolded it. It had a single line, written in a meticulous and careful script:</p><p>
  <em>Go to the queen’s chambers. She needs your help.</em>
</p><p>Kieu My stared at it, not understanding. She frowned. What was going on?</p><p>“Yeah, I didn’t understand much of it either” confessed Ismail. “But, is there anything I can help you with?”</p><p>Kieu My was about to shake her head, but then, she realized… maybe the person who sent the message to Ismail was on her side. She didn’t know how to explain it, but she had a good feeling about it all. She even managed to smile.</p><p>“You know what, there is. Take a seat, please, I am about to tell you really important information that shouldn’t leave this room. Understood?”</p><p>Ismail nodded and, with a serious and attentive expression, they sat on the bed.</p><p>“Okay. Where do I begin?” she started walking around in circles, putting her ideas in order. It was still all a huge mess in her head, but she tried piecing the info together. “First and foremost” she stopped right in front of her friend, and laid out a deep breath, “I love Fatou. I’m madly in love with her”.</p><p>“<em>Oh”</em> Ismail muttered, in shock, covering their mouth with their hands. “Oh!” they realized, widely opening their eyes. “The sentence! They are going to hang her, right?”</p><p>“Not anymore, Ismail” Kieu My openly smiled now. It felt so good to proclaim her love for Fatou, she now wanted to tell everyone. “I’m gonna get her out of there. You and me both know that the trial was rigged. She didn’t even have a chance to defend herself.”</p><p>Ismail quietly nodded.</p><p>“And then, what?”</p><p>“We’ll get out of here. I need you to prepare Maike and Chibi for a flight, and I’ll take care of the rest. We’ll hide away until we deem it safe to come back to the palace”.</p><p>“But…” Ismail didn’t seem to be fully on board with the plan, and Kieu My knew why. “What about Constantin?”</p><p>There it was. Kieu My sat beside them, who looked at her with a conflicted gaze.</p><p>“Ismail, this has been long overdue. We both know Constantin is not a good person, and we need to stand up to him. Thanks to my cowardness he already has too much power, but we can’t let him win, okay?” she looked at Ismail in their eyes.</p><p>“You know it’s difficult for me, Kieu My” Ismail’s voice cracked. They looked miserable.</p><p>Kieu My caressed their cheek, worried and sadden for them. Ismail and Constantin had been best friends since kindergarten, they had always been together. Also, it recently seemed like maybe Ismail had started to see Constantin as more than a friend, somehow.</p><p>“Hey, you can do this. I know it. I know how hard it is, but people like him don’t stop until they get punched in the face. And maybe he’ll get kinder once he realizes what he’s become. Wouldn’t you prefer a much kinder Constantin?” she softly asked them, lovingly squeezing their hands.</p><p>Ismail forced a timid smile.</p><p>“Yeah, that would be nice” they then came quiet, with a pensive look in their eyes. After a while, they nodded. “Okay. I’ll do it” Ismail was now back to their usual confident persona.</p><p>“Great” Kieu My clapped her hands, gleefully. “I’m proud of you” she smiled. Ismail smiled back.</p><p>“What am I gonna do after you and Fatou escape, though?”</p><p>“Yes. You’ll be in charge around here, and just basically try to keep Constantin in line. Please tell about our little plan to Zoe and Finn and wait for my orders. Somehow, we’ll find a way to communicate with you, and we’ll work from there. Okay?”</p><p>“Your wish is my command, your Majesty” pompously said Ismail, taking a mini-bow.</p><p>Kieu My stood up, and her friend followed suit. They looked at each other, anxious to get their plan started.</p><p>“Well, I’m gonna get my girl. Please, take care” farewelled Kieu My before hugging Ismail. Their hugs were always amazing.</p><p>“Go get your girl, Q. I won’t let you down, I promise” Ismail smiled, after the hug ended.</p><p>Kieu My smiled one last time at her friend, before putting on her hooded cape, and rushing out of her chambers, her heart racing.</p><p>She was going to get her girl.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>After Kieu My's epiphany, we'll see where she goes.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry for breaking the "2 chapters per POV" sorta-rule I had established, but I HAD to tell this in Fatou's perspective. I can't promise it won't happen again, but at least I'll try not to do it, haha.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Fatou felt hopeless. She had no more tears left to shed nor more voice left to cry out for help. She just felt… hopeless. Utterly and brutally hopeless. Everything was over. She didn’t even felt herself anymore, there, in that dark and cold cell – why was everything in that kingdom so cold? –, with her back against the stone wall and her knees all the way to her chest. She didn’t have any strength left to hug them, her arms just laid in the cold floor, lifeless. She was just a husk of a person, her mind was just a never-ending void full of darkness and hopelessness.</p><p>Everything was over. For good.</p><p>And then… the door opened. And She entered the cell. The light had returned to her world.</p><p>However, Fatou didn’t recognize Her at first. She was so lost in the darkness, she couldn’t even properly See. Her heart was the first thing that reacted. She started hearing its beating, reverberating through all of her body. So, it was someone she liked, she assumed. Someone she liked a lot.</p><p>She started focusing her eyesight. It was a tall, slender girl who was before her. She had a long, beautiful black hair, and an exquisite but simple gray dress. Her face was perfect, at least that’s what Fatou thought; it seemed like it was sculped in ice. <em>Ice.</em>.. No, for Fatou the girl was more akin to how a Moon goddess would be like, or at least that was Fatou remembered thinking. And that girl who looked like a goddess seemed really worried, her eyes, that would normally shine like two mini-cosmos, were completely opaque, like a moonless sky in a chilly desert night.</p><p>And her lips were moving, whispering something. Fatou could barely hear it.</p><p>“Fatou” the girl was saying. That was her name.</p><p>Suddenly, the girl’s name came to Fatou, and she had the urge to say it out loud.</p><p>“Kieu My” she quietly said. Her name was like a melody.</p><p>Kieu My. She was called Kieu My. Wait. Kieu My. <em>Kieu My.</em></p><p><em>Her</em> Kieu My. Queen Kieu My.</p><p>Fatou remembered everything; their kisses under Lady Moon’s gaze, the playfulness in Kieu My’s bed, the lovely lunch… Constantin arresting her, the trial, Kieu My not doing anything to save her, the disappointment she felt.</p><p>“Did you decide to say your farewells, or are you gonna stay quiet, just like in the trial?” Fatou dryly asked Kieu My. Her heart hardened, as well as her expression. She felt extremely exhausted and defeated, but she wasn’t gonna consent anything to the girl who basically betrayed her.</p><p>“Fatou…” Kieu My sounded heartbroken, but Fatou could also sense some kind of… relief? She didn’t know how to interpret that, either way she didn’t care. The queen slumped on the floor, knees forward, in front of her; they were now eye to eye.</p><p>“I’m so sorry” her voice cracked as she looked down to the ground. “I just… I already told you how much that man scares me, and how I’m used to just… not do anything. I wanted to do something, but I just got startled seeing how Constantin had bribed the jury, and…”</p><p>“And I wasn’t worth saving.” Fatou bitterly spitted. No more beating around the bush.</p><p>“Fatou, that’s not…”</p><p>“Don’t worry, Kieu My, I understand. It’s okay. You’re a queen, I’m a commoner. It was meant to be like that” Fatou’s voice was shaky, and her eyes were starting to get teary again.</p><p>Suddenly, Kieu My hugged her. Fatou opened her eyes in shock, now openly crying. The queen was now caressing her hair while tightly holding her.</p><p>“I’m so sorry that I ever made you think that” her voice broke. She sounded devastated. “You were worth it. You <em>are</em> worth it, okay?” she leaned back, and cupped Fatou’s shocked face, looking at her with loving eyes. “You are so much worth it, and my heart has been aching so much these past hours without you. I couldn’t even imagine how my life without you could be. I can’t even <em>fathom</em> to imagine it. You are everything I need, and I feel so lucky to know you, and to be with you” her cheeks blushed as she smiled tenderly. “I love you, Fatou Jallow. Please, forgive me. You will never see today’s Kieu My again, I promise you. I’ll make sure of it. And I’ll make sure you’re safe from Constantin and whoever else that tries to harm you, okay?” she caressed Fatou’s cheeks with her finger. “<em>I love you</em>”.</p><p>“I love you too, Queen Kieu My Vu” Fatou quietly replied, breathless. She couldn’t even believe it herself. But she needn’t overthink it; she leaned towards the queen, and kissed her, as if she hadn’t kissed her before.</p><p>And they kissed, and kissed again. And all their darkness scattered away. And the light in their eyes returned. And the moon and the stars and the sky and the sun were back to their places, watching over them.</p><p>Everything was as before.</p><p> </p><p>“What comes next?” said Fatou after all the kissing and making up, laying in the floor embracing the queen, with her head up to Kieu My’s chest.</p><p>“Right! I forgot” Kieu My got up on one jump. Fatou grunted, but Kieu My’s eyes were serious. “We gotta go. I knocked the guards on our way here, but they should defrost pretty soon”.</p><p>Fatou got up, speechless.</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“I’ll tell you everything later. Come” she took Fatou’s hand, before remembering something and searching in her pockets. A white friend curled into Kieu My’s hand, next to a small bag.</p><p>“Luna!” Fatou smiled, and Luna jumped straight onto her. Fatou then placed her on her shoulder, and took the bag. She already knew what was inside. “Are you sure you want to give me this?”</p><p>“I’ve never been more sure of anything, ever” Kieu My was dead serious, and looked really confident. She really seemed totally opposite to the Kieu My Fatou had seen during the trial. Fatou smiled, won over by her queen.</p><p>“Then, let’s go” she nodded, and held Kieu My’s hand.</p><p>They went out of the cell, into a large, dark corridor. Two frozen guards with a shocked expression sat just outside the door. Fatou tried not to look at them, as she ran behind Kieu My to somewhere safe.</p><p>Somehow, after corridors and corridors, they made it to the courtyard. Lady Moon was there, welcoming Fatou back to the world of the living, along with the thousands of stars that shined gleefully alongside her.</p><p>Fatou heard a neigh and lowered her head; she had been so enticed by the moon that she hadn’t even noticed the two pegasi fully prepared, full of bags and wares, in the middle of the place.</p><p>“How-” she started saying, confused, while running towards them. They were Maike and Chibi, Fatou could’ve recognized them anywhere.</p><p>“Ismail. I’ll tell you later” Kieu My looked behind them, one last look at the palace before abandoning everything she knew. She recognized Ismail’s figure from a window, waving her goodbye. She waved back at them, smiling. They had made it.</p><p>Just as she was about to turn back again to the pegasi, she caught a glimpse of another figure watching them in the shadows, a feminine one.</p><p><em>Was that…?</em> Kieu My thought.</p><p>It didn’t matter, anyways.</p><p>They quickly mounted their pegasi and, after Fatou whispered some calming and recomforting words into them, they took off, flying off into the distance, having only themselves and Lady Moon as company.</p><p>There they went, to a new place. Together.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Where do Kieu My and Fatou go after escaping the palace?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey, I'm sorry that it's taking me so long to write this chapter, I really wanted to do it for last week, for the season finale, but it's been a month and I couldn't :(</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They flew for hours upon hours, talking about everything they hadn’t talked about, and about everything they needed to talk as well. They laughed, teased and flirted with each other, and exposed their innermost fears and doubts. By the time Kieu My told Fatou they were close to their destination, they knew each other inside out.</p><p>-You never told me where we are going – Fatou noticed. She had been so absorbed by Kieu My she hadn’t even paid attention to the endless mountains and forests they had traversed.</p><p>-That’s because it’s a surprise – Kieu My smiled, as the starlight kissed her skin. The night was nearly over, and Lady Moon’s light was becoming fainter and fainter. – But you won’t have to wait any longer – she added, looking at the horizon. – Look.</p><p>Kieu My pointed towards one of the mountains that appeared to be drawn far in the distance. Fatou followed her gaze and focused on it. It was very faint, but it seemed like the side of the mountain had some sort of weird forms.</p><p>As they got closer and closer, and Lady Moon introduced Lady Dawn, painting everything in a blue light, Fatou could see the town – because it indeed was a town – more closely.</p><p>It was built by the side of the mountain, and little houses with lime green pagoda roofs were piled on top of each other with no apparent order. Through the mountain, dividing the town into two sides, a graceful waterfall ran, being traversed by various wooden bridges. In the base of the mountain the town was full of spire-like buildings and shrines, with what seemed as a town square and more spaced-out houses.</p><p>-Nukk Dâ Town – Fatou whispered.</p><p>-I told you we were gonna visit it soon – Kieu My smiled.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>They landed on the town square just as the Sun was shining in a cloudless blue sky. It was crowded with people that had seen them flying, all having the same features as Kieu My and Finn, and all curious to see what they were doing there. In front of the crowd, an old man dressed in a wealthy and vaporous attire and leaning in a wooden beautifully carved staff stood still with a wise gaze and a serious expression.</p><p>Fatou unmounted Maike first, and then carefully helped Kieu My. She noticed the queen was suddenly very nervous.</p><p>“Are you alright?” Fatou whispered into her ear.</p><p>“I think so. It’s just… it’s been a while since I’ve spoken in Nukki…”</p><p>“You’ll be great, I know it” Fatou smiled at her, tightening the grip on her hand. Kieu My nodded and tried to faint a smile as the old man started walking up to them. Kieu My then laid out a deep breath, let go of Fatou’s hand, and put on her queen demeanor, meeting him halfway between Fatou and the crowd. Everyone was silent, it was like all were holding their breaths. Fatou was starting to worry. What if they weren’t well received? Maybe Constantin had gotten to them and threatened the town or something?</p><p>But, after a tense moment, Kieu My and the elder hugged tightly.</p><p>“Kieu My, tattmaî main higan bamp ô nai” his voice was raspy, but Fatou could feel that the man was very happy to see Kieu My. Behind them, people in the crowd started talking fast and smiling at the scene. Fatou could breathe again: they were safe.</p><p>“Orôi, loukwâ soi! Chunttâ konyeu neunde nôi ve” Kieu My replied in perfect Nukki. Fatou smiled; Kieu My had worried for nothing, she was perfect as always.</p><p>At that moment, the elder, whom Kieu My had referred to as <em>orôi</em>, tilted his head and looked directly at Fatou.</p><p>“Koei la aî?” he asked Kieu My, pointing with his head towards an anxious Fatou. Kieu My looked at her and widened her smile.</p><p>“Fatou. Koei la bangae kotoî” she replied. The elder opened his eyes in surprise, but nothing more. Fatou wished she knew Nukki. “Koei honnoî tei Nukki”.</p><p>The elder nodded, and then pointed towards Fatou, indicating her with his hand to join them. After making sure Maike and Chibi would be alright, she walked up to Kieu My’s side. The elder warmly smiled at her.</p><p>“Welcome to Nukk Dâ Town, Fatou” he had a faint accent, but Fatou was surprised at how good he spoke her language. “I am Elder Amâ, the chief of the Nukki, and Kieu My’s grandfather. It is a pleasure to meet you.</p><p>“The honour is mine, Elder” Fatou smiled back.</p><p>“We have a lot to talk about, <em>orôi</em>. A lot has happened” Kieu My told him, with a tint of urgency in her words. Elder Amâ’s eyes became serious, and he nodded accordingly.</p><p>“Follow me into my house then, we’ll talk there. You can take the pegasi with you, there’s some space left in the stables.”</p><p>The girls nodded, and went back for Maike and Chibi, while the Elder started walking through the crowd, who formed a corridor that surrounded them, still too curious to go back to their duties. Fatou assumed they didn’t have that many visitors.</p><p>Kieu My and Fatou started walking behind the Elder, each one gripping their pegasus’ bridle and looking around that beautiful place.</p><p>“So… you were worried you hadn’t spoken Nukki in a while, huh?” Fatou teased Kieu My, who rolled her eyes as an answer. “And what was your worry, that you would be too perfect speaking it or something?”</p><p>“I have a thick accent, okay? I still have one. And <em>orôi</em> always says I sound like a messenger delivering news, I’m too stiff” she explained, trying to sound appalled, although she couldn’t hide away a smile.</p><p>“Well, you sounded just perfect for me. Seriously, I was really impressed” Fatou cheered her up.</p><p>“Of course you would”.</p><p>They continued walking like that for a bit, in silence, going up the windy cobblestone paths of the town, surrounded by lime green and white buildings, with little fountains and moon-themed decorations at every corner. Fatou was in love with that place, she couldn’t help but look at everything with her mouth wide opened.</p><p>But, just alongside her, she could feel like Kieu My wanted to say something but couldn’t. She kept looking furtively at her, only to then avoid her gaze completely. She was also playing with her hair, which Fatou had learned was a sign for the queen being anxious about something.</p><p>“Something wrong?” she asked Kieu My.</p><p>“No, don’t worry” Kieu My brushed it off. There was definitely something going on.</p><p>“Kieu My…”</p><p>“Okay, okay. I was just wondering… Look, when I was talking before with my <em>orôi</em>, I introduced you as my <em>kotoî</em>. And I don’t know if I should’ve called you that without consulting it with you first.”</p><p>“What does it mean?” Fatou asked her, curious.</p><p>“Ummm, it’s difficult to translate” Kieu My pondered. “I think the closest translation would be “girlfriend” or, well, “partner” because it is gender neutral”.</p><p>Fatou’s heart started racing. <em>Girlfriend</em>. <em>She introduced Fatou as her girlfriend</em>. She now wanted to scream into a pillow, very hard, and moon over Kieu My for eternity.</p><p>“Okay” she said instead. “And why is it difficult to translate?”</p><p>“Because…” Kieu My tried looking for words, gesticulating with her hands. “Because <em>kotoî</em> means so much more. The literal translation is “tangled shooting stars”. It basically means two souls – in Nukki souls and stars are the same – that are meant to be entangled forever and whose destinies become voluntarily the same, being with each other until the end.”</p><p>“So… basically…” Fatou’s voice cracked. She wanted to cry out of pure joy and love, finally grasping what <em>kotoî</em> really meant. Her heart couldn’t beat faster, and she couldn’t be happier. “It’s like being soulmates”.</p><p>“Yeah, kinda, I suppose” Kieu My conceded. “So…” she glanced at her, wary.</p><p>“Yes, I think that word fits us perfectly. We are <em>kotoî</em>, you and I” Fatou told her, taking her girlfriend’s hand and kissing it. Kieu My looked at her lovingly and offered her a smile so full of love and warmth and tenderness Fatou thought she would melt right there.</p><p>“I love you so much, my <em>kotoî</em>” she whispered.</p><p>“I love you too.”</p>
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<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Kieu My and Fatou explain their plan to the Elder, and start preparing to carry it through.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm sorry these chapters are taking so long to post, but I promise I haven't abandoned it or anything, and I'll try to write as much as possible.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I never trusted that Constantin. Too much fury in his eyes” <em>oroî</em> Ama said, after Kieu My and Fatou finished telling him everything that was going on back at the castle. Then, pensive, he slowly filled his glass of tea, and drank some of it, reflecting on everything. Kieu My looked around her grandpa’s living room, where she had passed most of her childhood. It was laid with a wooden floor and stucco walls, with few but essential furniture: a big wooden circular table in the center, where they were at, a couple of bookshelves in a corner, and an elegant mirror next to the entrance of the house. Kieu My knew the whole house was magically insulated, as it was built into the rock, just behind the waterfall, at the top of the town. Even though it seemed small from the looks of the living room, she knew it had hidden rooms everywhere, and was prepared to fully accommodate the entirety of the town in case of trouble.</p><p>“So, what’s your plan now?” the Elder interrupted her thoughts. Next to her, Fatou eyed Kieu My, who nodded. They had discussed their course of action on their way there.</p><p>“There’s this spy from my homeland, Yara, who gave me this when I first arrived in the Kingdom of Ice. She told me to use it if I was in danger” Fatou took out of her pocket a coin-like object shaped like a star.</p><p>“A <em>shtä</em>” Amâ nodded. “A very powerful item.”</p><p>“I think she could be a mediator between us and queen Ava” Fatou explained. She then looked at her girlfriend.</p><p>“It’s time we stop Constantin one and for all, <em>oroî</em>, and we are going to need all the help we can get” Kieu My continued.</p><p>“Are you sure?”</p><p>Kieu My’s heart started to beat faster. She knew she was doing the right thing.</p><p>“Yes, <em>oroî</em>” she said with a smile. Elder Amâ smiled at her, and got up, clapping his hands together.</p><p>“Okay, then, let’s meet lady Yara” he then stared at the two girls, waiting.</p><p>“Now?” Fatou asked, panicked. She had told Kieu My about how much Yara scared her. Kieu My was also taken aback by the urgency of her grandpa, but she understood it. The sooner the better. She tightly held her girlfriend’s hand, as she helped her getting up.</p><p>“You can do this” she whispered. Fatou seemed a bit uncertain still, but she managed to smile a bit.</p><p>Kieu My then took a step back so Fatou could have some space to work with, and anxiously waited to meet that mysterious spy.</p><p>Fatou took a heavy breath and tossed the <em>shtä</em> three times. After that, there was silence. Everyone held their breath, waiting.</p><p>And then, Yara poofed into the room. She was wearing the same clothes as she had when she was at the market, but she seemed distressed; her eyes were proof that she must’ve been quite some time without sleeping; Kieu My didn’t find her intimidating at all, just very scared.</p><p>And, to the surprise of everybody, the first thing she did was hug Fatou. Her girlfriend opened her eyes wide, shocked, and not knowing what to do. Everyone was quiet, holding their breaths, except for Yara, who was wailing quietly. After a while, she held back, wiping the tears off her eyes.</p><p>“I’m sorry for that” her voice was still a bit off. “I usually don’t get this emotional, but I was really worried about you. I hated that I couldn’t do anything to save you, and I didn’t know if my message had reached Ismail.</p><p>“So it was you” Kieu My muttered. One more mystery solved.</p><p>“Yes. I did see two figures in the courtyard later that night, but I wasn’t sure if they were you too. I imagine that’s how you escaped?”</p><p>Fatou nodded, while Yara breathed deeply, closing her eyes, and calming herself. When she opened them again, she seemed as stern and intimidating as Fatou had described her.</p><p>“Okay, so, what’s the plan?” she asked a frightened Fatou.</p><p>“We need you to contact Queen Ava” Kieu My explained. Fatou looked at her, relieved, faintly smiling at her with gratitude. “We are going to unleash an attack on Constantin once and for all”.</p><p>Yara smiled intimidatingly.</p><p>“I’ve been waiting years for this, your Majesty” she nodded. “I’ll contact her in a bit, she has another <em>shtä</em> so I can go back to the Kingdom of the Sun as soon as possible and organize everything from there. I’ll have to send a letter to the palace and make sure that it doesn’t get intercepted, so it could take some time. You’ll know whenever the letter gets delivered, don’t worry, as I’ll ask Queen Ava to send some priests commanded by Mailin herself to aid you.</p><p>“Wait, but how are they going to come without crossing the border? I am sure Constantin will have it heavily guarded” Kieu My asked, frowning.</p><p>Yara looked around the room.</p><p>“You are in Nukk Dâ, right?”</p><p>“Yes?” Kieu My didn’t understand, still.</p><p>“Smart girl, smart girl” suddenly said <em>oroî</em> Ama. “I am impressed you know about that.”</p><p>“Queen Ava herself taught me everything that I needed to know for the job, Elder” Yara gleamed with pride, while Kieu My looked at her grandpa, not understanding anything. In return, he smiled widely.</p><p>“Nukk Dâ’s lake at the bottom of the waterfall is magically connected to Axolotl Lake back at the Kingdom of the Sun. It is an ancient passageway only known by a few in each kingdom, meant for occasions like this one.</p><p>“Magically connected? So, like, a portal?” Fatou asked.</p><p>“Exactly like a portal” the Elder’s grin widened.</p><p>“Okay, so, I’ll get back at you in a couple days, when Mailin gets there. Until then” Yara saluted them with her head, and poofed away again.</p><p>The room went silent, Fatou and Kieu My processing everything that had been said. Meanwhile, Ama stood up, teapot in his hand.</p><p>“Anyone wants more tea?” he looked at the couple, as calmed as ever. “It’s going to be a while until we get more company” he added.</p><p>“Yes, please. I’m dry” her granddaughter said, before sighing.</p><p>The plan was now in motion. There was no going back now.</p>
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<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The two girlfriends spend some time together while they wait for Mailin to come to Nukk Dâ.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Again, sorry for taking so long between each update, on the bright side, I only have two weeks of the semester (and the master as a whole) left, so after that I should be more free to write!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>“So, you were born here?” Fatou asked, with her head on her girlfriend’s lap. A couple days had passed since they had arrived in Nukk Dâ, and they had not left the house, anxiously waiting for Mailin. Most of they days they just sat in the living room drinking tea and talking for hours.</p><p>“Born and raised, yes” answered Kieu My while caressing Fatou’s hair. “I didn’t leave Nukk Dâ until I went to the academy in the Kingdom of the Stars.”</p><p>Fatou giggled softly, looking around the room.</p><p>“I can imagine baby Kieu My happily prancing around here while the Elder tried to prevent you from harming yourself.”</p><p>“Bold of you to assume I wasn’t the best well-mannered toddler ever.”</p><p>Fatou looked at her girlfriend directly in the eyes, in utter disbelief.</p><p>“Okay, okay, I was just as you described” Kieu My finally admitted, not being able to hold back a smile. “But I’m sure you were the same”.</p><p>“Well, a little” giggled Fatou. “My mom always says I was a crier.”</p><p>“Oh yeah, I can see you being a big pain in the ass” Kieu My laughed.</p><p>“Hey! But I was cute. Probably even cuter than you were” Fatou playfully teased her.</p><p>“Betcha?” Kieu My leaned closer to her girlfriend, squinting her eyes with suspicion.</p><p>“I was the cutest baby”.</p><p>“Really?” Kieu My kept leaning closer and closer to Fatou, forcing her to laugh.</p><p>“I mean you’re cuter now, but I really was…”</p><p>Kieu My interrupted her with a soft kiss.</p><p>“That’s what I wanted to hear” she smiled slyly, full of herself.</p><p>“Come here you prideful beautiful queen” this time Fatou grabbed her girlfriend by the chin and passionately kissed her.</p><p>They continue kissing each other, giggling and caressing each other. Kieu My sprawled in the floor with Fatou, and then they embraced each other, touching their bare skin under their garments. Just as things were starting to heat up, Kieu My getting on top of a very aroused Fatou, the door that led to the kitchen opened.</p><p>“Girls, do you want some more tea?” Elder Ama proclaimed, bringing with himself a kettle and a couple of cups.</p><p>Kieu My and Fatou immediately stopped, red and ashamed, standing up at the same time.</p><p>“Oh, I understand. You were busy” he nodded, turning away to go back to the kitchen.</p><p>“No, wait, I really want some tea, it’s gotten a bit hot in here” Fatou said with a shaking voice. Then she turned to Kieu My, who looked disheveled but beautiful as always. “We can continue this tonight, right?” she looked at her with full intent in her eyes. Was that a blush she saw on her girlfriend?</p><p>“Sure” Kieu My seemed more embarrassed than Fatou, but she understood; the Elder was her grandfather after all.</p><p>“Let’s all drink, then” Ama nodded again and walked up to the table, sitting by it and filling the cups with hot aromatic tea.</p><p>Kieu My and Fatou joined him, taking a sip of their respective cups.</p><p>“Your tea is always the best, Elder” complimented him Fatou. She had never been a big fan of tea, but Elder Ama’s tea was like nothing she had ever tasted before.</p><p>“Thank you, Fatou. Tea-making is one of my passions, always have been.”</p><p>“I remember when you would make tea for all of the kids and then you would tell us one of your wonderful stories” Kieu My reminisced, smiling.</p><p>“Oh, tell us a story then, please Elder Ama” Fatou added, excited.</p><p>“A story, huh?” Ama scratched his chin, thinking. After a while, he nodded for himself. “Okay, I got it. Are you ready?”</p><p>The girls nodded, attentively. The Elder then took a long sip of the tea, and started.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Long time ago, the Moon birthed a very strange child, the so-called Kid of the Moon. This kid was as much of a Moon child as a Rider child, as their father was a Pegasus Rider that had been enthralled by the Moon. As such, the Rider wanted the Kid to become one of their own. The Moon deemed that life too dangerous, and so she refused. Feeling betrayed and furious, the Rider and his crew bid farewell to the Moon and the Kid, and flew off into the distance, wishing to be somewhere else.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The Moon saddened and blued over this event, but still, she nurtured the kid into adulthood, teaching them the secrets of the Moon. The Kid of the Moon was a happy healthy adult, but still, they ached over their mother’s broken heart. And so, one day they told their mother that they wished to find their father. The Moon begged them to stay, but the Kid of the Moon was no longer a kid, and as such, their mother let them go.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>This kid wondered the realm by foot, looking everywhere and asking to every person they encountered in their travels. They all had the same answer: they had seen the Pegasi Riders fly through the sky, but they did not know where they were heading to. Nevertheless, the kid persevered, going far and beyond the realm.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>After 1328 days of aimlessly walking, they arrived at the Daybreak, where the Sun presided over everything. The Kid of the Moon, surprised by the golden majesty of Lord Sun, enquired him about the Riders. Stroking his fiery beard, the Sun, who could see All that roamed through the sky, told the Kid where to find them. Full of gratitude, the kid went to the far mountains where the Riders were living at the moment.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Once arriving, they proclaimed that they were the Kid of the Moon, and that they wished to meet he who fathered them. Wrinkly and teary-eyed, the Rider who had fell in love with the Moon promptly hugged his kid, happy again after many melancholic years. He then asked their child to join the Riders, but the Kid of the Moon refused, as it was their duty to spread the Moon’s legacy. However, the Kid did not want to lose their father. They prompted him to devise some plan with Lady Moon, and so they did. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>The two lovers ached with joy after such long and bitter solitudes and loved each other once more. They decided they could not live together, as both the Moon and the Rider had duties to fulfill, but that did not mean they could not see each other again. Alas, thanks to the powers of the Moon, they linked a cobalt mirror near the Moon’s residence with an identical one far in the south, past the Daybreak, engulfed in a forest and inhabited with strange fish.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>They decreed that, at least until there were enough Kids of the Moon, they would wed a Rider to ensure a long and unbreakable bond between the Moon and the Sky, and as such the Kid of the Moon married a Rider they already loved on that same night to seal the pact.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The Kid of the Moon helped the Riders to establish themselves near the southern mirror, deep in the forest, and from there they tried out the mirror passageway. It worked, and it has worked until the present day. Around the northern mirror Nukk Dâ Town was founded, and the settlement that the Riders founded still exists under the name of Hemmeburg. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Fatou and Kieu My silently looked at each other, eyes wide open. They both had understood what that story implied.</p><p>“I guess your mother’s hometown is called Hemmeburg?” the Queen ventured to ask after a quiet moment of tea sipping and thinking. Fatou nodded, still a bit shocked.</p><p>“I am a descendant of those Riders” she whispered to herself, still in shock.</p><p>“And so am I, apparently” her girlfriend smiled at her, eyes shining.</p><p>“Interesting” Elder Ama stroked his beard. “No wonder you are each other’s <em>kotoî</em>. You were made for each other”.</p><p>The two girls intensely blushed, just before exchanging an intense and loving stare. They grabbed each other’s hand tightly.</p><p>Fatou was about to say something, when they felt a strange surge of energy that passed through them, just to disappear seconds later.</p><p>“Wha-“ Fatou started saying.</p><p>“It seems our guest has arrived” interrupted her Ama, smiling.</p><p>Mailin was in Nukk Dâ.</p>
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